


Iron Man & Mrs. King

by Goodnightwife



Series: Iron Man & Mrs. King [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Tony Stark - Fandom
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 15:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15754674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goodnightwife/pseuds/Goodnightwife
Summary: Mrs. Y/N King needs rescuing from her abusive husband. Can the Avengers and Tony Stark make her understand that she is worth it?





	Iron Man & Mrs. King

**7:00am, Monday morning, Stark Tower**

  
Y/N stepped out of the elevator into one of the biggest messes she had ever seen. She sighed as she took in the hundreds of empty cups littering the floor alongside streamers and who knows what else.

“Greetings, Mrs. King.” A soft, British male voice said. Y/N looked around but didn’t see anyone.

“Hello?” She called out tentatively.

“Good morning,” the voice said. “Myname is JARVIS.”

“Good morning, Jarvis,” Y/N replied politely. “Um, w-where are you?”

“I am Mr. Stark’s personal assistant, of sorts. I’m an artificial intelligence system and I run this building.”

“Oh,” Y/N said rather dumbly. “Cool. Should I look in any particular direction to address you or are you just kind of… everywhere? And, um, does JARVIS stand for something?”

“I am, as you say, everywhere. And JARVIS stands for Just Another Rather Very Intelligent System.”

Y/N giggled, “That seems to fit your very well JARVIS.”

“Thank you, Mrs. King.” JARVIS replied. “Mr. Stark is unfortunately indisposed this morning and will not be able to attend your interview, but I have reviewed your files and am authorized to hire you. And I regret to inform you that you have your work cut out for you.”

“Indeed I do, JARVIS.” Y/N sighed. “Well, how about we take it one room at a time and you can direct me as needed. Alright?”

“Very well, Mrs. King.”

Y/N set down her purse and rolled up the sleeves of her button up work shirt, being careful not to push them too high, just in case someone came in while she was working. JARVIS directed her around the residence floor of the tower, showing her where all the cleaning supplies were stored and how to activate the automatic cleaners already installed in the building. Small robots that acted as vacuum cleaners, dusters, even a robot that went around making sure everything hung on the walls was straight.

“JARVIS,” Y/N paused while walking down a hallway, “why does Mr. Stark even need a housekeeper when he has you and all this technology?”

“I am capable of many things, Mrs. King, and Mr. Stark has created many other machines to take care of the house, but there are some things that require, shall we say, a woman’s touch and thoughtfulness that my systems are not capable of.”

“I see.” Y/N nodded and continued walking down the hallway. “I guess that makes sense.”

The rest of the morning was spent learning how to direct the many machines to clean the ballroom and other unoccupied rooms of the main resident floor of the tower. JARVIS directed her from room to room, avoiding the bedrooms until tomorrow. The last thing she needed on her first day of work is to deal with a hungover Tony Stark.

Once all the rooms where clean, except for the bedrooms, she made a pot of coffee and a plate full of bacon for when everyone woke. She also put together a quick chicken casserole and gave JARVIS instructions on baking it whenever anyone was ready to eat. Based on the mess from the party, she guessed they would have some impressive hangovers. It was nearly 4:30pm by the time she left the tower.

  
**5:00pm, Monday afternoon**

Tony stumbled into the kitchen, following his nose to the coffee pot and finding a plate full of crispy bacon next to it. He poured coffee into his Iron Man mug and grabbed a handful of bacon. It was the perfect remedy for his hangover. Last night’s party had been impressive, even for the great Tony Stark. He didn’t remember all of it, but based on his headache, it must have been spectacular.

Settling on a stool at the counter, he leaned his forehead on his palm. Taking a deep breath, he asked Jarvis for a rundown of the damage done at the party and the state of the ballroom. The damage was minimal but the ballroom had already been cleaned. Tony didn’t remember asking Jarvis to take care of that and simply assumed that he did it when he was drunk. Thanking the AI, he refilled his coffee, grabbed another handful of bacon.  
Steve and Bucky walked in, one right behind the other, looking way too fresh given how much they drank last night.

“How’s the head, Tony?” Steve asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“Delightful.” Tony replied. “Thanks for cooking bacon though.”

“We didn’t cook it.” Bucky replied, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms over his large chest.

“Who did then?” Tony asked. “Who else is awake?”

“I don’t know who cooked it.” Steve said. “Clint and Nat left already, Sam is still sleeping and Buck and I have been downstairs in the gym all afternoon.”

“JARVIS,” Tony called. “Who cooked bacon this morning?”

“Mrs. King, Sir.”

The three men paused, each wracking their brains trying to figure out if they should know who Mrs. King was. Three shrugs later, Tony raised his voice again.

“Who is Mrs. King, JARVIS?”

“Your new housekeeper.” JARVIS replied.

“What happened to Mrs. Tumbleweed?” Tony asked.

“Treaklehorn.” Bucky corrected.

“Trimblefoot?” Steve questioned.

“Mrs. Trickelbank resigned, Sir.” JARVIS answered.

“Oh, and you hired a new housekeeper? When did that happen?”

“This morning, Sir.”

“Oh,” Tony took a bite of bacon. “Well done, JARVIS.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“You two didn’t see anyone when you went downstairs?” He asked Bucky and Steve.

“Nope, but we heard the vacuums going in the ballroom, she must have been in there.” Bucky replied.

The three men dispersed to their own corners of the tower. Tony went in search of those little red pills Bruce had given him for hangovers and then went back to bed.

  
**8:00pm, Still Monday**

Tony woke slowly, testing the pain level of his head. Finding it tolerable, he got out of bed and stumbled into a hot shower. Dry and dressed, he made his way to the kitchen, his stomach rumbling.

“JARVIS,” he mumbled. “Where is everyone? Do we have any food?”

“Everyone has gone out for the evening. I took the liberty of baking your dinner when you woke up. It’s ready to come out of the oven now.”

“Oh, thanks.” Tony opened the oven and the heavenly scent of chicken and stuffing wafted out. “Wait. JARVIS, who put this together? Last time I checked, I hadn’t given you hands yet.”

“Mrs. King, Sir.”

“Right. Remind me to meet her, JARVIS.” Tony plated the hot food and carefully took a bite. It was heaven in his mouth. The perfect meal post hangover. He grabbed his plate and headed toward his lab to get ready to leave for a mission at 6am the next morning.

**7:00am, Tuesday morning**

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding as Y/N exited onto the main residence floor of the tower. JARVIS had informed her on the ride up that all of the Avengers were gone on a mission and she would have access to clean every room except Tony’s lab. Y/N set her purse down and rolled up her sleeves. She quickly cleaned her way through the kitchen and living room to the bedrooms.

The first bedroom was immaculate and as spartanly decorated as one would expect military barracks to be. This was Steve Rogers’ bedroom and it required very little cleaning. She pulled one of her favorite dark chocolate nuggets from her pocket and left an extra chocolate on his pillow for being so clean. Next was Bucky Barnes’ room. Y/N had never met Steve or Bucky but she knew their story. They were best friends and, based on their levels of cleanliness, couldn’t be more different. Bucky’s room took the most time to clean and organize. He was lucky to get a chocolate.

Nat and Clint’s rooms were well-kept for the most part. Although, Y/N kept finding arrows randomly stashed behind dressers and in the lampshades throughout both rooms. She left a white chocolate on Nat’s pillow and stabbed a milk chocolate on the tip of the arrow in the lampshade on Clint’s bedside table with a small smirk.

Sam’s room reminded Y/N of a teenage boy who was obsessed with flying and music. Posters covered the walls of various aircraft and bands. He was pretty clean, but getting the oil stains out of the carpet was a struggle. As Y/N left him a chocolate, she made a mental note to bring Sam a tarp to lay down when he worked on his wings.

Tony’s room was last and it required nearly as much work in Bucky’s. Discarded clothing created a protective layer on the floor at least an inch thick. His bathroom wasn’t horrible, but wet towels never dried while laying in heaps in the corner.

“JARVIS?” Y/N put her hands on her hips, surveying the mess.

“Yes, Mrs. King?”

“When are the Avengers due back?” She asked, thinking through all the things she still needed to get done that day but wanted to do something extra for the hard-working team.

“They are scheduled to return this evening.”

Y/N nodded determinedly and quickly finished cleaning Tony’s bathroom, making plans in her head. Cooking hadn’t been a large part of the job description, but she decided that someone needed to take care of this group. As she vacuumed the newly discovered floor in Tony’s room, she made a list of all the things she would need and asked JARVIS if everything was available. It was. After making Tony’s bed and leaving him a couple of chocolate covered espresso beans on the pillow, she made her way back to the kitchen and pulled out every crockpot she could find.

Five crockpots (Tony Stark owned five crockpots!) and three hours later, everything was ready to roll. She turned each pot on to the correct temperature and told JARVIS when to turn them off again. If the Avengers didn’t make it back this evening, she would have some impressive cleaning to do tomorrow, but JARVIS seemed sure they would be back. With a small smile, Y/N picked up her purse and, with a satisfied nod at her work, left the tower for home just after 5pm.

  
**8:00pm, Tuesday Evening**

Nat and Clint walked slowly into the kitchen, confused by the smells wafting around the room. The team had just returned from their short mission and while everyone else was showering, it was Nat and Clint’s turn to cook. But as they began to investigate the crockpots, they found a full meal waiting for them.

“JARVIS, who did this?” Clint asked.

“Mrs. King, the new housekeeper.” He replied.

“I think I love her.” Nat said, lifting a lid to discover a chocolate lava cake.

Tony sauntered in and stopped short, taking in the many crockpots and Clint and Nat each standing over one in amazement.

“Let me guess,” he started, “Mrs. King?” Nat and Clint nodded wordlessly.

“Hey, what smells so good?” Bucky asked as he and Steve came in.

“Pot roast, potatoes, a chicken dish, some kind of Italian sausage soup, and chocolate lava cake.” Clint answered, lifting each lid and taking in a deep breath over each pot.

“Did someone say cake?” Sam asked as he entered the room. “Who cooked?”

“Mrs. King, the new housekeeper.” Nat answered.

“Is that who left chocolate on my pillow?” Bucky asked. “And who cleaned my room? It took me forever to find my pants!”

“She left us chocolates?” Clint asked.

“I got two.” Steve grinned.

“How come you got more than me?” Sam asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Who cares? Let’s eat!” Tony said, pulling down plates and tossing them like frisbees across the kitchen. The team dug in as fast as they could. Each giving a moan of pleasure as they put the first bites in their mouths.

“I think I love this woman.” Sam said around a mouth full of pot roast. “When is she coming back and can we keep her?”

“JARVIS, when is Mrs. King coming back?” Tony asked.

“Tomorrow, Sir.” The AI answered.

“Do you think she would cook for us again?” Bucky asked, his mouth full of chicken.

“I guess we can ask her tomorrow.” Tony replied.

  
**10:00pm, Tuesday Evening, across town…**  
Y/N sat huddled in a corner in the living room of her small apartment. Wayne had been home for only an hour but had already gotten angry over the slightly dry chicken dinner she had made them. A bruise was forming over her ribs and around her upper arms. Her neck ached from being shook back and forth. She laid her head on her knees and let the tears silently flow. Wayne was now too drunk to pay any attention to her, so she knew as long as she stayed out of his sight and quiet, she was safe until tomorrow night.

**7:00am, Wednesday Morning, Stark Tower**  
Y/N stepped off the elevator, her eyes trained on her phone. Her sister had been texting her all morning, needing to talk about her boyfriend who had just dumped her. Alexis was always needing something, it seemed. Y/N was so engrossed in trying to talk Alexis off the ledge that she didn’t see the large soldier standing in her path as she walked on auto pilot to the kitchen until she walked into him. Gasping, she took a step back, placed an arm around her bruised ribs and dropped her phone. She looked up at her roadblock. A little over six feet tall, muscular arms, one flesh, one metal, crossed over a wide chest and piercing blue eyes in a brooding face surrounded by dark hair stared down at her.

“You cleaned my room,” he said in a deep voice, soft and lethal.

“It was filthy.” Y/N replied gently, not wanting to anger him and reminding herself that he was one of the good guys.

“I couldn’t find my pants.” He returned, narrowing his eyes.

“They were in the drawer marked ‘pants’. I labeled all your drawers.” She said as matter-of-factly as she could, working to keep a steady voice.

“Oh. You’re a good cook.” He said, lowering his chin, continuing to stare her down.

“Thank you.” Y/N replied, raising her chin to silently meet his challenge.

“Bucky, stop intimidating Mrs. King or she’ll never cook for us again.” Sam came up behind Bucky and tried to shove him aside, but he refused to move for a moment. After giving Sam a long side glance, Bucky looked back down at Mrs. King, slowly winked at her, and then stepped aside to let her pass.

Y/N hurried into the kitchen and took a deep breath as she put her purse down on the counter, forgetting her phone on the floor. She steadied her shaking limbs and let out another breath. Turning, she jumped as she was faced with a small, redheaded woman who looked lethal enough to kill her with her pinky.

“That chocolate cake was amazing.” She said in a soft voice.

“Thank you. Would you like the recipe?” Y/N replied.

“Clint wants it actually, he’s our resident baker.” She answered. Steve walked in and, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, walked over to introduce himself.

“Hello, I’m Steve Rogers.” He held out his hand and took Y/N’s small one and shook it gently. She seemed fragile to him and he didn’t want to break her.  
“Y/N King, it’s nice to meet you all,” Y/N replied, working hard to sound as normal as possible.

“We will leave you alone and let you work in peace.”

“Thank you, Captain Rogers.” Y/N smiled up into his kind blue eyes. Steve and Nat left her in the kitchen. Taking a look around, she found that everything had already been cleaned from the dinner last night. They even put the crockpots away. Y/N started to roll up her sleeves but thought better of it since the whole team was there. She made sure the top button of her shirt was securely fastened and got to work dusting the living room and getting the little machines running. She got through most of the rooms in peace until she was headed down the last hallway.

“I need to speak with you please.” A voice came from behind her. Turning, she came face to face with Tony Stark.

“Yes, sir.” She replied, taking a step back to preserve her personal space. Tony jerked his head and walked into his lab. Y/N followed slowly.

“D-do you want me to clean in here?” She asked as she followed him, her eyes taking in the piles of tools, half finished machines, and baskets overflowing with oil rags.

“No,” Tony replied, turned back to her. “No, this is my mess. Well, mine and butterfingers over there.” He said gesturing to the robotic hand still holding a wrench, looking as confused as a hand possibly could.

“Oh, well, how can I help you then, Mr. Stark?” She asked, keeping a distance between them and her hands clasped in front of her.

“I just wanted to meet you.” He said. Looking her over, Tony took meticulous mental notes. Her hair was a soft y/h/c that flowed gently around her shoulders and appeared as soft as silk. Her y/e/c eyes stood out against pale skin, a gentle peachy blush crept up her cheeks. Her light blue button-up shirt was buttoned all the way to her neck with the sleeves down to her wrists. Her pants were long and her shoes were considered practical for a 70 year old woman.

“Oh.” She said nervously. “Um, thank you for hiring me.”

“Thank JARVIS,” Tony replied wryly. “I didn’t have a whole lot to do with it.”

“Well, your name is on my paycheck, so thanks.” She replied, almost stubbornly.

“Right, well, feel free to clean every room on this level except my lab. I’m sure JARVIS told you all that already though.”

“Yes, he did. He’s very thorough.” She nodded, her hair falling over her shoulders. “Will there be anything else, Mr. Stark?”

“No,” Tony replied. “That’s all, thank you.” Y/N nodded and left the room as quickly as she could without being obvious. Tony leaned back against his work bench, stroking his chin in thought. She wasn’t the conventional beauty that he was generally pulled toward, but there was something about her that was very attractive to him. But also, he had the distinct impression that something was going on with her, something he wanted to figure out. “JARVIS, we have some work to do.”

“Yes Sir, would you like me to run a full body scan on Mrs. King?”

“Yep. Send it directly to Bruce’s lab.”

Y/N moved quickly around the corner then leaned against the wall and took a breath. She knew she was being obvious and that needed to stop. They were going to figure out her secret and that would make her life hell. It wasn’t Wayne’s fault, he didn’t mean it. It was her fault really, she made him angry and then he just couldn’t control himself. He loved her too much, that was really his problem. She gently rubbed her arm, remembering his anger last night over dinner.

Sighing, she pushed herself away from the wall, running her hands down her sleeves and checking that her top button was still buttoned tight and went down the hallway to the last room. The music room, her favorite room so far. The piano was exquisite and the view was the best in the city. She would spend most of her time in this room if she could. Wayne never understood her love of music, maybe one day, she would be able to convince him of its value.

High in the rafters of the ceiling, Clint looked down in interest.

 

**7:00pm, Wednesday Evening, Stark Tower**

The team assembled in the kitchen to see what bits of deliciousness Mrs. King had left for them. Steve opened the oven and the smell of lasagna wafted through the air, making them all moan with delight. A loaf of garlic bread sat sliced and wrapped in a towel with instructions to warm it. They sat at the table with steaming lasagna, fresh bread, and crisp salads.

“I really think we need to keep this woman forever.” Bucky said.

“I thought you didn’t like her because you couldn’t find your pants.” Sam retorted.

“That was before she told me that she labeled my drawers. It really helps.” Bucky replied. Steve smiled over at him, thankful that Bucky was showing such improvement.

“I don’t know guys,” Tony interrupted. “There’s something going on with her.”

“You’re right.” Clint said. “There is something.”

“Do you know what it is?” Tony asked, putting his fork down.

“I’m not sure yet, but tomorrow we will try a few things and see if we can confirm my suspicions.”

“Wait, what are you suggesting?” Steve asked. “Do you think she’s not trustworthy?”

“No, nothing like that,” Clint replied. “I don’t want to talk too much about it until we can get some confirmation.”

“And I want to wait until Bruce gets back and examines her scans that JARVIS did today.” Tony put in.

“You had JARVIS scan her? Did you ask her permission first?” Steve inquired.

“Of course not, she probably would have said no.” Tony retorted with an eye roll.

“Possibly, but isn’t that an invasion of privacy?” Steve argued back gently. He got the distinct impression that not all was well with their lovely housekeeper but wasn’t ready to start investigating her yet.

“Speaking of invasion of privacy, I have this. Maybe it will shed some light?” Sam asked as he produced her phone from his pocket and handed it to Tony.  
“How did you get this?” Tony asked.

“She dropped it this morning and I honestly forgot to give it back to her.” Sam replied, avoiding Steve’s glare. “She ran out too fast this afternoon.”

“The phone will help! Tony and JARVIS will work on that while we handle the rest.” Clint said.

“What do we need to do?” Nat asked.

“Just watch her for now. Watch for her physical signs of trauma, even if she’s just favoring one side over another. Once Bruce gets in later tonight and looks over her scans, we can move with a little more purpose.” Clint said.

The team nodded, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. This new woman in their lives had already had such an impact that they felt protective over her. Tony kept his head down, not wanting his face to reveal his emotions. He was more drawn to this woman than he had been to anyone in his life, though he didn’t know why… yet.

  
**10:00pm, Wednesday evening, across town**

Wayne came home too drunk to care about anything. He completely ignored Y/N and she did everything she could to stay out of his way. He fell asleep quickly laying across their bed. After making sure he was covered and warm, Y/N pulled the only other blanket in the apartment, a small afghan, over as much of her body as it would cover and slept fitfully on their small couch.

  
**5:00am, Thursday Morning, across town**

Y/N woke slowly, her neck and back aching from sleeping in a ball on the small couch. She still heard Wayne’s snoring coming from their bedroom. She silently got up and took a quick shower in a trickle of water so the noise wouldn’t wake him. He got grouchy when he woke up too early. Getting dressed as quickly and quietly as possible, Y/N slipped out of the apartment, blessedly, without waking Wayne.

Halfway down the stairs, she realized that she didn’t have her phone. Sighing, tears beginning to build in her eyes, she turned to retrieve her phone before Alexis texted again and woke Wayne. She searched the living room and kitchen. No phone. Staring at the bedroom door, she forced herself to breathe silently before tiptoeing into the room. Wayne’s snores rebounded off the walls as Y/N searched for her phone. Nothing. Thinking back over yesterday, she realized that she didn’t remember having her phone after arriving at the tower and Bucky scared her. Realizing that she left it there, she moved quickly to get out of the room, bumping a table and knocking a small lamp to the floor. Wayne jerked awake and eyed her.

“Clumsy bitch.” He mumbled as he got up and moved toward Y/N.

  
**7:30am, Thursday Morning, Stark Tower**  
Y/N stepped off of the elevator with her head up, not wanting to run into any super soldiers again. Her hand strayed to the scarf tied around her neck, hiding the worst of the bruises. She cursed under her breath for being late, it was too obvious. Being on time was imperative. Putting her purse down on the counter, she carefully turned to begin the search for her phone. Wayne didn’t know it was missing and there would be hell to pay if he found out. Soreness spread through her muscles and pain shot through her middle if she took too big of a breath.

“You’re late.” Tony’s voice pulled her from the dark thoughts about what Wayne would do.

“I’m sorry, traffic was very bad today.” Y/N lied easily, her hands wringing behind her back.

“It’s okay,” Tony replied, leaning against the counter, reaching into his back pocket. “I just wanted to give you this.” He pulled her phone from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Thank you very much, I was worried about my sister.” Y/N took her phone and checked her text messages. 25 unread messages from Alexis. Scrolling through quickly, Y/N realized that Alexis was basically having a conversation with herself and didn’t seem to realize that she received no reply. Typical Alexis really. Y/N sighed and put her phone in her pocket. Tony was just staring at her, a thoughtful expression gracing his handsome features. Handsome? Where did that come from?

Y/N gave herself a mental shake. Wayne. Husband. He was handsome. Well, he used to be anyway. Nat strolled in, saving Y/N from Tony’s silent staring.  
“Hey Y/N,” she greeted. “Could you help me with something?”

“Sure Nat.” Y/N nodded to Tony and left with Nat. They went into Nat’s room where Nat showed Y/N a dress with a small tear.

“I can fix that easily.” Y/N promised. “I have a sewing kit in my bag, leave this out on the bed and I’ll fix it before I leave.”

“Thank you so much, Y/N, I really appreciate it!” Nat pulled Y/N into an unexpected hug, squeezing lightly around her middle. Y/N tensed but didn’t cry out when Nat’s arm rested rather heavily on one of her larger bruises.

Y/N smiled tightly and nodded, moving carefully away out of Nat’s arms. Moving back down the hallway to begin her daily cleaning, Y/N started in the living room getting all of Tony’s small cleaning machines working. She moved through the bedrooms quickly, leaving a tarp in Sam’s room with a note to lay it down before starting to work on his wings. She turned down the last hallway and bumped into someone new. An awkward but sweet looking man with glasses. Bruce Banner.

“I’m so sorry,” Y/N said quickly, stepping back to avoid being in his personal space, her hand flying to her scarf to make sure it was still in place.

“It’s alright, I’m Bruce Banner. You’re the new housekeeper?”

“Yes, Y/N King.” Y/N reached her hand out and Banner gently shook it, sensing her fragility.

“Nice to meet you.” He replied. “I’ll get out of your way.” He nodded and moved past her down the hallway. Once he was down the hallway far enough, he raised his voice slightly. “JARVIS, run a fresh scan on Mrs. King and send the results to my lab as soon as possible. And then have Tony meet me there.”

Y/N cleaned like normal, though a little slower. Her fresh bruises from this morning making bending over a little more painful than normal and the pain in her side was only getting worse. Ending in her favorite room, the music room, she sat at the piano and gently touched the keys.

“Do you play?” Bucky’s voice shocked her so much that she jumped up and knocked the bench over, pain shooting through her.

“A little,” she rushed to pick the stool up, checking to make sure it wasn’t broken.

“Will you play for me?” Bucky asked softly. He walked slowly into the room and sat on the couch next to the piano. “Please?”

Y/N smiled into his eyes, there was something about Bucky that made her want to take care of him. He was so strong and had been through so much that she felt like he deserved to be taken care of more than most.

She rested her hands on the piano keys and took a breath. Slowly she began to play a soft lullaby that her mother had taught her years ago. The soft notes flowed from the instrument as she poured her heart into the melody and let the memories resurface. As the music transported her to a happier time, Y/N was unaware of the tears falling down her cheeks as her eyes closed and her fingers swept across the keys. Tony stood in the doorway, silently watching her transform into someone else. Someone free.

Bruce and Tony stared at the two scans that should have been almost identical but weren’t. The rest of the team walked in and, giving Tony a glance, Bruce began his analysis.

“This first scan is the one Tony had JARVIS run a couple days ago. You can see some bruising along the ribs and around her arms. There’s a small darker area around her neck that might indicate some muscle strain.” Everyone nodded, following along. Bruce continued. “This second scan is one I had JARVIS run this morning. It shows significantly more damage to her arms, bruises on top of bruises, one cracked rib, and extensive bruising around her neck.”  
“What does this indicate, Dr. Banner?” Steve asked, although everyone already knew the answer.

“The most likely cause is abuse. Someone is grabbing her by the arms and shaking her, that accounts for the bruising around her arms and the neck strain. The cracked rib is most likely from a punch or a knee, and the new bruising around her neck is definitely from hands, most likely within the last 24 hours.”

“How do you know it’s from hands?” Bucky asked.

“Take a look here and here,” Bruce pointed to specific spots that were darker than most and put his own hand up to the screen, showing how the fingertips matched nearly perfectly. Although, whoever grabbed her by the neck had larger hands than Bruce.

“She was strangled. And he kneed her in the gut hard enough to crack a rib.” Nat whispered, one hand moving to her neck and one wrapping around her middle. Clint put an arm around her shoulders, partly to comfort her but mostly to keep her in the room and stop her from finding and killing whoever was hurting their Mrs. King.

“What do we know about her?” Steve asked, taking charge and already making plans in his head.

“JARVIS, spill it.” Tony commanded.

“There is nothing unusual in Mrs. King’s background check, Sir.”

“You know what I mean, JARVIS. Give us all the details.”

“Pulling the report for you now, sir.” JARVIS replied and the monitor blinked to show Y/N’s picture and profile.

“Mrs. Y/N King, age 36, height 5’5”, weight 142 pounds,” Tony began to read, “born Y/N Y/L/N, lived a completely normal, boring life until she married Wayne King in upstate New York five years ago. Since then her visits to the Emergency room have risen an impressive amount and she goes to a different place every time. Her husband: Wayne King, age 41, height 6’5”, 310 pounds. Former army, currently unemployed.”

“Damn, he’s a giant. And he’s been beating her for five years?!” Bucky asked incredulously. “Why doesn’t she just leave his ass? It’s a miracle he hasn’t killed her yet.”

“Abused women sometimes have a hard time leaving their abuser. Some out of fear, better then devil you know than the one you don’t. Some out of love, they honestly love the man beating on them and can’t imagine leaving. Others stay out of the self-loathing. They believe that they deserve to be beaten.” Nat explained softly, her eyes never leaving the scans of Mrs. King.

“I wonder which keeps Y/N with him.” Clint mused.

“I hope it’s fear, that’s the easiest to deal with.” Nat answered.

“Well, what are we going to do about this?” Tony asked. “I think Mrs. King has quickly come to mean a lot to all of us and she needs our help.”

“You guys should have seen her play the piano today,” Bucky said, all eyes turned to him. “She changed right in front of me. She wasn’t the scared, timid woman she normally is, she was…”

“Free.” Tony supplied. “I want to see that Y/N again. What are we going to do, team?”

The team nodded as one and began to formulate a plan. The first step was getting her to open up to someone about the problem. That would be easier on her than just approaching her directly, they thought. They decided Nat was the most logical choice for a woman to woman talk. Y/N had taken Nat’s dress home to fix it after the sewing kit in her purse didn’t have the right color thread, so they would have a chance to talk alone tomorrow. After that, they would have the weekend to think the rest of the plan through.

  
**9:30pm, Thursday Evening, across town…**

Y/N leaned her head back against the cool porcelain of the bathtub as she soaked. She avoided looking at her body in the water, not wanting to see the old bruises her husband had given her and not wanting to see the new ones forming even now. It seemed that nothing ever had the chance to heal before something new took its place. She had gotten home a little later than normal. Traffic in this city would be the death of her. Unlike her excuse to Tony this morning, it really was the traffic that held her up tonight. Wayne didn’t believe her, of course.

He took a few swings at her but they were drunken and uncoordinated. He managed to land a couple on her shoulders and one on her face before he passed out in the living room. Y/N sighed, thankful that once Wayne was out, he was out for the night. He typically avoided hitting her in the face, not wanting others to see the bruises. But tonight, his drunkenness made him careless. Y/N was already thinking up ways to excuse the black eye that was already forming.

She pulled herself from the cooling water and dried off. Walking into the bedroom, she pulled on pajamas and crawled into bed, thankful that she would get to sleep in the bed tonight. The couch wasn’t very comfortable, but she would take it over the floor, which was where Wayne ended up. She wasn’t strong enough to move him, but she did make sure that he was covered up and as warm as possible. Autumn nights in New York could get cold. Turning her light off, she laid her head down on the soft pillow, thankful for another day.

  
**11:13pm, Thursday night, Stark Tower**

Tony laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. Sleep alluded him on the best of nights, but tonight his mind was flying a mile a minute.

“JARVIS?” He said.

“Yes, sir?” The AI answered.

“Did you choose to hire Y/N because you knew what was going on with her?”

“I hired Mrs. King because she met every qualification you gave me for a housekeeper, sir. Including the final qualification that I should find someone who needed the Avengers as much as the Avengers needed them.”

“Did I say that?”

“Yes, you did sir.”

“Huh. That’s surprisingly deep for me.”

“Indeed, sir.”

“Thanks, JARVIS.” Tony replied and rolled over.

“Goodnight, sir.”

  
**7:00am Friday Morning, Stark Tower**

Y/N entered the floor as quietly as possible, despite sleeping in the bed the night before, she was tired and her body ached. She kept her sunglasses on, not wanting to have to talk about her black eye yet, it still looked pretty bad. In the kitchen, she quickly cleaned up from last night’s dinner she left the Avengers. A simple but tasty meal of Sloppy Joe sandwiches and potato wedges. They were so good to put their dishes in the dish washer and running it, all she had to do was put the dishes away.

Making coffee, she leaned her hip against the counter and watched the steaming liquid drip into the pot. She needed a plan to get through today. She had been trying to come up something good, but everything sounded trite. The best idea she had was that she could clean quickly and beg off the rest of the day. Whatever she did, she needed to think up something quick before someone came in and she wasn’t ready with an explanation. Lost in thought, she didn’t hear Tony come in.

“Coffee that interesting?” He asked, causing her to jump and put her hand on her collar. Habits had formed over the years and one of them was always making sure her collar was buttoned up tight to hide the bruises and sometimes welts left by Wayne’s angry hands around her collar bone. She had added the scarf today in case the red marks from his fingers around her neck were also still visible.

:Is it bright in here?” Tony asked, pointing to her sunglasses.

“No, I-I just have a headache and the light hurts.” Y/N replied, not really lying because her head was pounding.

“Do you want to go see Bruce? He has these magic pills that can cure anything.” Tony said, wanting so much to see her out of pain.

“Oh, no, no please, don’t trouble yourself,” Y/N hurriedly replied, moving away from Tony. “I’m fine, I have work to do, but thank you Mr. Stark.” Y/N nearly ran from the kitchen, leaving Tony feeling two inches tall. He wanted to help her and he wanted her to want him to help her. He shook his head and filled his Iron Man mug with coffee. She made the best coffee. Whatever it took, he was determined to help her.

Y/N moved as quickly as she could through the rooms. She left Nat’s repaired dress on her bed and cleaned faster than she had ever cleaned before. She was finished in record time and went back to the kitchen to set up their dinner. Bending to pull crockpots out of the lower cabinets, Y/N groaned as a flash of pain shot through her middle.

“Do you need help?” Bucky asked from behind her, making her jump up and gasp in pain, her arm wrapping around her middle. “Why are you wearing sunglasses?” He asked.

“I’m fine, Bucky, it’s just a little headache, the light bothers me.” She said softly.

“You’re not fine, you’re hurting.” Bucky replied, taking a step toward her, his eyes pleading with her. “Please let us help you.”

“Bucky, I don’t need help, I’m okay.” Y/N insisted, moving away from him.

“Y/N, I might not be completely right in the head yet, but I can see your pain.” He replied, taking a few more steps toward her.

“What are you talking about Bucky? I’m not in any pain.” Y/N stepped away, letting out a laugh that she hoped convinced him to move on.

“You just said you had a headache, you have to be in some kind of pain.” He shot back.

“No, no, I’m fine.” She replied carefully. Not looking where she was stepping, she backed into Tony who was coming through the door.

“Lier.” Bucky mumbled with a concerned frown, reaching toward her and expertly whipping her sunglasses off before she could even move. Tony’s hands came up to her shoulders, causing her to jump out and let out a soft cry before she realized who was behind her.

“Talk, Y/N. Please.” Tony said as softly as he could, his hands running down her arms trying to comfort her. “Please tell us what’s going on.” Y/N looked from man to man, tears filling her eyes, looking trapped. Nat hurried in behind Tony.

“What the hell are you two doing?” She asked harshly, pulling Y/N into her arms and out of the kitchen. Sitting her down on the couch in the living room, Nat sat next to her with an arm around her shoulders. With one pointed look from Nat, the dam broke and Y/N tears flowed freely. Nat pulled her into a hug and watched over her head as Bucky and Tony came out of the kitchen looking helpless and very worried. She gave them a grim smile. This needed to happen.

Y/N cried until she started hyperventilating. Tony sat on the coffee table in front of her, knees touching.

“Hey hey, Y/N, breathe with me. Breathe.” He instructed as he started taking breaths. “Match me, come on, you can do it.” She slowly began to focus on his chest and breathed in time with him, tears continuing to fall.

A water bottle was pressed into her hand and a soft tissue began drying her tears. She didn’t lift her head up to look at anyone and didn’t even notice when Nat moved and Tony took her place. Y/N simply leaned against whatever shoulder was offered and cried herself to sleep, the still-closed water bottle clutched in her hand against the chest connected to the shoulder under her head. Tony, leaning back against the arm of the couch, looked up at Nat and Bucky and a silent decision was made between the three of them. Y/N King was now theirs and she was home.

Tony carefully pulled the afghan from the back of the couch and laid it around them, putting his arms around her, hoping that the weight of his arms and the warmth of the blanket with help her stay calm as she rested.

 

**8pm Friday Night, Stark Tower**

Y/N woke with a start. It took her a couple seconds to realize where she was and that it was now dark outside. With a whimper, she leapt from the couch and started to run to the elevator. Wayne was going to be mad at her for being so late. He needed his dinner on time or his blood sugar dropped and he got even angrier than normal. She made it around the couch and halfway to the elevator when Nat stepped front of her.

“Whoa!” Nat held her hands up, ready to catch Y/N if she fell in her panic. Using the same calm voice she used with Hulk, she tried to calm Y/N. “Where ya headed so fast?”

“I-I-I-I have to go h-h-home. Please Nat. He’ll be so mad.” Y/N pleaded in a panic.

“You don’t have to go back to him, Y/N.” She replied softly. “You never have to back to him again if you don’t want to.”

“B-b-but I do have to. You don’t know what he’ll do to me if I don’t go back.” Y/N tried to push past Nat but no one gets past Black Widow until she’s good and ready for them to go.

“Y/N, listen to me.” Nat put her hands on Y/N’s shoulders and turned her around and started pushing her back to the couch. “Do you really think he can get in here, of all places? And do you really think we are just going to let him take you away and hurt you again?”

“W-w-well, why wouldn’t you?” Y/N asked, her eyes staying glued to the elevator, as if Wayne would come through those doors any minute and drag her away.

“Because you’ve been adopted,” a voice came from behind her. Y/N turned to see Tony sitting in an easy chair, glass of whiskey in his hand. “Yeah, it’s a thing we do. You need us, we need you, it’s a give-give situation that makes everybody happy. Well, almost everybody. If you had let Steve name you, you’d have been in on the first day.”

“Please, doll, we can help you.” Bucky said from the other side of her. Nat behind, Tony in front, and Bucky on the left, Y/N turned right only to find Clint and Steve filling the gap.

“P-p-p-please, you don’t understand.” Y/N began to cry, finally looking at Tony, pleading. “He will kill me! Or worse, he won’t kill me and I’ll wish he had.”

Tony sat his glass aside and stood, trying to remain calm. Her tears were pulling at his heart.

“Listen, Y/N.” He began taking slow steps toward her, wanting to be close to her but not wanting to frighten her even more. “We can keep you safe from him. We’re the Avengers after all. We will never let him up here.”

The elevator chose that exact moment to ding, Y/N jerked around with a scream. Sam stepped out, his hands raised in surrender and a confused expression on his face. A plastic bag hung from his elbow.

“Hey hey, doll, it’s okay.” Bucky said, “It’s just Sam coming back with dinner.”

“Dinner.” Y/N eye’s blew wide open in panic. “Wayne will need his dinner. He’s diabetic, he can’t eat late.”

“He can take care of himself for once.” Nat said, her voice dripping with anger at the man.

“Listen, let’s all just sit down and talk about this rationally. Y/N needs to hear what we have to say and we need to hear when she has to say.” Steve said, trying to calm everyone and help Y/N find some ownership in what was going on. Everyone seemed to accept that and moved slowly to the couches, Nat stayed in between Y/N and the elevator until Y/N sat down. Sam carefully laid a couple bags of sandwiches on the coffee table.

Y/N sat in the middle of the couch, Tony on one side, Bucky on the other. Nat took the chair in between the couch and the elevator. Everyone else quickly found a seat and waited for someone else to begin.

“Well, someone has to start.” Steve said. “I guess it’ll be us. Y/N, we want to help you. We don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want, but we also see where you might feel trapped with this guy. We want you to know that we are here for you.”

“I have to go back.” Y/N said softly, shaking her head and wringing her hands in her lap.

“Why, doll? Why do you have to go back to him?” Bucky asked, resting his metal hand on hers, stopping her from wringing her hands.

“I-I-I don’t have anywhere else to go Bucky.” Y/N whispered, tears building in her eyes.

“Is that all that’s stopping you?” He asked, leaning down, trying to see into her downturned face.

“No.” She whispered.

“Then what else?” Tony asked.

“He’ll find me again. He always does.” Y/N replied just barely loud enough for everything to hear.

“What do you mean ‘always’?” Tony asked, the gears in his head began turning faster.

“I tried to leave him once before when my parents were still alive.” She began to explain, not looking up at anyone, just rubbing her thumb absent-mindedly over Bucky’s metal hand still on hers. “I ran to them after he first started hitting me. They told me that they would help but wanted me to try to reconcile with him and try to make my marriage work like theirs had worked. I tried but Wayne wouldn’t come to counseling and he was just out of the army and everyone said he would calm down and everything would be fine.”

“But it wasn’t fine.” Bucky supplied when Y/N paused.

“I ran from him and he followed me and drug me home and beat me until I couldn’t stand.” She shook her head as tears flowed.

“I need to ask you a couple of things, Y/N, and I need to answer me honestly. It might be uncomfortable but it will help us know how best to help you.” Tony said, taking her hands from Bucky and pulling slightly for her to look at him.

“Alright.” She agreed with a nod and sniffle.

“Do you love him?” He asked, his eyes staring into hers, looking for any sign that she wasn’t being truthful with them or herself.

“I should love him, he’s my husband. And I’m sure I used to, but I haven’t loved him in a long time.” She replied softly but instantly

“Do you want to go back to him and continue living with him?”

“Not if there’s another way, but I just don’t see any other way.” She looked up into his eyes. “Everything I have is there, my mother’s jewelry and my father’s flag from when he was buried. Everything important to me.”

“Okay, if we could get those things for you, get everything you want out of your apartment and set you up here, what would you say to that?” Tony asked, scooting a couple inches closer to her.

“Here?” Her eyebrow shot up. “As in, in the tower, living here?” She jumped when Bucky’s hand rested lightly on the small of her back, he mumbled sorry but didn’t take his hand away. Y/N and Tony never broke eye contact. “You want me to live here?” She whispered.

“Yes,” Tony replied softly, “What do you say?”

For Y/N, Tony’s earnest brown eyes became blurry as tears filled her own eyes.

  
**10pm Friday Night, Stark Tower**

Y/N was sure that living with the Avengers would bring its own set of problems, but looking into Tony’s eyes and seeing the truth of what he was saying, Y/N could only nod tearfully, agreeing to move into the Tower. Tony would do everything in his power to keep her safe, and he had quite a lot of power. His arms immediately wrapped around her in a fierce hug followed by Bucky’s tight hug from behind, making Y/N hiss with pain from her cracked rib. Bucky immediately let her go.

“JARVIS,” Tony called. “Get Y/N’s room ready, she’s staying!”

“It’s ready now, sir.” JARVIS replied.

Y/N laughed nervously as cheers went up around the room. She was overwhelmed and still harboring a deep fear that Wayne would find her. Being surrounded by super heroes ought to have belayed her fears, but she still jumped when the elevator dinged to let Bruce in. Once she saw the gentle man, she sighed and shook her head.

“It’ll take time,” Bucky said softly, keeping their conversation under the din of the other conversations that had started up in the room.

“I know,” Y/N agreed with a sad smile. Tony stood to tell Bruce the news that Y/N was moving in, but he didn’t let go of her hand, so he ended up pulling her along with him to Bruce.

“She’s staying,” Tony began, talking to Bruce with Y/N standing behind him. “First thing is a full medical exam. She’ll need X-rays and I want to do a full blood workup too, just to be safe.” Bruce nodded once as his eyes moved to look over Tony’s shoulder to Y/N. She could feel the blood draining from her face as fear and pain started to take over. Tony felt her hand begin to tremble and turned just in time to catch Y/N as her eyes rolled back in her head and her knees gave out.

Bucky rushed forward and gently lifted Y/N from the awkward position Tony had caught her in and Bruce waved them all to the elevator. Once in his lab, Bruce had JARVIS run a full scan. The cracked rib, black eye, and bruising were thankfully the only physical damage. The entire team filled the small room as Bruce worked on Y/N, drawing a vile of blood.

With a start, Y/N’s eyes flew open and her hands grabbed onto the lapels of Bruce lab coat. Terror written across her face.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, you’re safe, Y/N.” Bruce comforted softly. “You’re in Stark Tower and we’re going to take care of you. I’m going to give you a shot for pain and it will help you sleep for a while, okay?”

She took a few breaths and nodded, laying back down and falling asleep almost instantly when Bruce gave her the shot. After a few minutes, he turned to the group with a sigh.

“She had passed out and now she’s just sleeping. We will need to go very slow with her. Not pushing her too far for a while until she starts to feel safe again. She’s had so much adrenaline pumping through her veins for so long, it’s going to take her a while to come down from that. It’s also going to take her a while to relearned how to feel safe.” He explained to a bunch of nodding heads.

“I get that,” Bucky said, mostly to himself, but Steve heard and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“What can we do to help?” Steve asked.

“Simple things,” Bruce replied. “Establish normalcy, as much as we can around here anyway. Don’t sneak up on her, make noise when you enter a room, keep all touching to a minimum unless she initiates it. We need to watch for signs of PTSD that she can’t deal with on her own. She’s very strong, obviously, but she might need help remembering that about herself.”

“I don’t know if this will help or hurt, but there’s a mission coming up that will pull some of us away.” Steve put in reluctantly. “Someone can stay here with her, but this mission will take most of us.”

“That might be good for while but she’ll have to get used to being around all of us if she’s going to live here.” Bruce agreed. “When do we leave?”

“In two days, we should be gone for about a week.” Steve answered.

“Alright. In the meantime, lets move her to her room and let her rest. I’m confident she’s in no danger. JARVIS has done all the scans I want right now, and I took a little blood so I can run tests while she’s out. I also gave her shot for pain, it will help her sleep.” Bruce said. Bucky stepped forward to lift her off the table, but Tony’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“I’ll take her.” He said softly, his eyes not leaving her body. Bucky simply nodded as Tony stepped forward and carefully lifted Y/N with one arm under her knees and one around her back. Bruce carefully laid her head on Tony’s shoulder. As a group, they took her to the room JARVIS had prepared for her and watched as Tony carefully laid her down on the fluffy bed and covered her with a soft blanket.

“I’ll stay with her for a while in case she wakes up.” Tony said as he pulled a chair over next to the bed. Everyone nodded and started to turn away to their own rooms, it had been a long and emotional night. Each walked away making plans, some for the protection of Mrs. King, and some for revenge on Wayne.

“Let me know if you need a break,” Bucky said softly. “It’s not like I sleep much anyway.” Tony only nodded. He didn’t sleep much either.

Letting his eyes wander over Y/N’s serene sleeping face, he felt a surge of anger he hadn’t felt in a long time. This Wayne guy was going to pay for what he had done to Y/N, in more ways than one. Tony leaned back in the chair and began plotting all the ways he was going to make Wayne suffer. Physically and mentally. Making some mental notes of his ideas, he began to draw up a short list of what and who he would need. He would use these next two days to plan and then start his personal mission against Wayne when everyone returned from the mission. First on the list, send someone to pick up Y/N’s things tomorrow. Secondly, when his personal mission began, he was going to need the help of two people in particular: Thor and Loki.

  
**8am Saturday Morning, Stark Tower**

Y/N woke slowly and carefully. She was feeling some pain in her side, which logically she knew was from a cracked rib, but seeing as how Tony Stark himself was sleeping in a chair next to her bed and Bucky was slouched down in another chair across the room, Y/N decided to wait on logic until she was fully awake. Memories of last night came to back her in a rush of flashing images. Mostly she saw Tony’s face light up with pure joy when she agreed to move into the Tower. They actually wanted her to live at the Tower. The Avengers wanted to save her and as she watched the two men sleep, she actually, for a brief moment, allowed herself to think that they just might be able to do it.

Turning her gaze to Tony, she wondered at this man who could have anything and everything he wanted and yet he still seemed to care about her. Y/N wasn’t sure why just yet, but she had a feeling the truth would out eventually. She would have to prepare herself to find out what he wanted from her in exchange for helping her this much.

A snort from across the room interrupted her thoughts and woke Tony. His head jerked up and he put a hand on the bed to steady himself on the chair. He blinked a few times before realizing that Bucky’s snoring woke him. Looking over at the bed, he finally noticed Y/N’s eyes open and amused.

“Morning,” he said softly. “How do you feel?”

“Sore, still groggy, but I need to get up and move around.” Y/N answered in a whisper, not wanting to wake Bucky. Tony nodded and moved to help Y/N get out of the soft bed and walk over to the bathroom. He showed her the fresh towels in the cabinet and a fully stocked shower. He told her that Nat had brought her some fresh clothes as well. Overwhelmed by his kindness, Y/N wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug before he awkwardly excused himself so she could shower.

Stepping back into the room, Bucky was awake.

“She okay?” He asked Tony.

“Yeah, she’s just gonna have a quick shower,” Tony said, his mind completely occupied with the feeling of her arms around him.

“Are YOU okay?” Bucky asked, a small grin forming.

“Yeah, um, she, ah, hugged me.” Tony explained, running his hand through his hair.

“Well that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Bucky asked, his smile growing with Tony’s awkwardness.

“Oh yeah, totally, I mean, I guess it is. Just kinda… caught me off guard I guess. I didn’t expect her to feel okay with that, but I guess she could be, I mean, she is-“

“Tony, you’re babbling.” Bucky interrupted with a laugh. “You like her, it’s obvious. It’s okay that she hugged you, it means she’s starting to trust you. And you and I know better than most that trusting isn’t easy.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Tony replied, his eyes on the floor, replaying the hug over in his mind. Over-analyzing per his usual method.

“I’m going to get some coffee. You want anything?” Bucky said as he stood.

“No, no as soon as she’s done we will just come to kitchen, maybe brew a fresh pot huh? I know Y/N makes the best coffee but yours is okay too.”

“Gee thanks.” Bucky laughed as he left the room and pulled the door nearly all the way closed. Tony had barely sat down when he heard the water turn off. A few minutes later, Y/N emerged from the steaming bathroom wrapped in a large towel. The bruising around her neck and shoulders stood out. Tony silently gestured to the closet and Y/N moved in there to find clothes. Nat at left her plenty of options but none of the shirts had a high enough collar to cover the bruising. And there were no scarves. She exited the closet in a pair of denim capris and a boat necked stripped shirt, her hair hanging wet down her back.

“Would you like some coffee? And breakfast? We didn’t eat dinner last night, you must be hungry.” Tony said.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll go start some coffee.” Y/N said, moving into housekeeper mode without realizing it.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. Bucky’s making coffee and, if we ask nicely, Steve might cook for us.” Tony replied, holding up his hands to stop her. “We don’t expect you to work 24/7 just because you’re here.”

“Oh.” Y/N fidgeted for a moment. What would they want from her if not work? “Bucky’s making coffee, you said?”

“Yep.” Tony said, leading her down the hallway.

“Well, his coffee is okay too.” She replied dryly causing Tony to let out a burst of laughter that carried them into the kitchen.

“What’s funny?” Bucky asked, turning away from the coffee pot with a mug of coffee, which he then handed to Y/N.

“I have no idea.” Y/N replied, leaning against the counter. Before Tony could answer, Steve came into the room, coughing loudly as he came through the door. Y/N’s head jerked in his direction but she didn’t visibly jump. When she saw who it was, she seemed to relax again.

“Steve,” Tony got his attention. “How about some of your famous pancakes?”

“Sure, I could go for some carbs. Y/N, pancakes sound good?” He turned his head to Y/N, trying not to be obvious that he was watching her for any signs of distress. She nodded as Tony helped her get comfortable on one of the stools at the counter while they watched Steve and Bucky cook. They moved well together like the well-oil team that they were. Tony keep stealing glances at Y/N out of the corner of his eyes, wanting to make sure she was okay and not starting to panic again. She seemed calm, sipping her coffee.

“Tony.” She said softly, but the super soldier’s hearing picked up every word. “Please stop looking at me like I’m going to break any second.” Tony blushed at being called out, Bucky snickered.

“Sorry, I just want you to be okay. Last night was a lot to deal with and I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” Tony explained.

“I do have some questions actually,” Y/N replied, turning on the stool to face Tony. “The first one is for you. Now that you have me living here, what do you expect from me? Am I the live-in housekeeper? The Mrs. Hudson to your Sherlock? Or… what?”

Tony cleared his throat and wracked his brain. He hadn’t thought about it before and his knee-jerk response wasn’t really appropriate seeing as how she was married to someone else and only just beginning a road to recovery. He took a deep breath, trying to formulate an answer for her.

  
**9:30am Saturday Morning, Stark Tower**

Tony’s mouth open and closed a couple of times trying to formulate an answer for Y/N when Nat walked into the room, coughing into her elbow.

“Morning everyone,” she said softly as she got a cup of coffee and sat at the counter on the other side of Y/N. “Steve’s making pancakes? Nice! How are you feeling this morning, Y/N?”

“I’m sore, but okay,” Y/N replied with a small smile. “I was just asking Tony for some clarification on what my duties will be as the live-in housekeeper.” Nat glanced over at Tony and seeing that he was still floundering, she took control of the conversation.

“Well, once you are feeling up to it, I would like to teach you some basic self-defense. Steve and Bucky can help too. We have found that our job brings a certain amount of danger and while we want to protect you from that, there might be times that knowing how to throw or block a punch will come in very handy.”

“I would like that. I have often considered taking a class but Wayne didn’t want me gone that long.” Y/N replied, looking down into her coffee as her mind wondered back to her apartment and back to Wayne.

“Hey,” Bucky’s voice interrupted her thoughts, “listen Y/N, we want to you feel safe here with us but we also want you to be happy here.”

“Yes, indeed we do!” Tony finally found his voice. “And in keeping with that thought, I’m going to send someone over to your apartment today to pick up your things. It would help if you could make a list of what you want and where it is.”

“Okay, that won’t take very long, I don’t have much.” Y/N replied. “Who are you sending? Maybe it should be someone big and intimidating.”

“I think I would like to go after breakfast,” Nat answered with an evil grin. “I’ll take Clint.”

“Um, don’t you think you might want to take someone… bigger?” Y/N asked hesitantly.

“Don’t worry about her, doll,” Bucky said with a smile. “She’s tougher than Steve and I put together and still much less likely to rip the man’s arms off.”

“No, no, don’t be silly,” Nat answered him with a wave of her hand. “I’m much more creative than that!”

“Oh yes, I remember.” Bucky replied with a smirk. Y/N’s head whipped back and forth as she watched them talk about her past exploits. Finally, when Clint walked in coughing, Steve placed a plate of pancakes in front of Y/N.

“Hey, Clint,” Nat called. “Wanna go with me to pick up Y/N stuff today?”

“Is what’s-his-name gonna be there?” He asked, accepting a plate of pancakes from Steve. Y/N shrugged.

“Could be.” Nat answered.

“Cool, I’m in.” Clint replied with a grin.

Bruce wondered in with a cough and Y/N couldn’t take it anymore.

“Are you all getting sick?” Y/N asked loudly.

“Um, no?” Bruce replied, looking nervous and confused.

“Then will everyone please stop coughing when you enter the room? I’m not made of glass!” Y/N replied quickly.

“Y/N, we’re sorry.” Tony soothed, taking one of her hands in his without thinking twice about it. “We just wanted you to feel comfortable here and didn’t want you to be scared. Most of these people are either super soldiers or trained assassins, it’s their job to sneak around but we didn’t want to alarm you by inadvertently sneaking up behind you.”

“Thank you for your consideration,” Y/N replied, leaving her hand in Tony’s, even letting her thumb run across his knuckles. “But it’s not necessary. I need to learn without everyone walking on eggshells around me and feeling like they have to be anything other than themselves in their own home.”

“It’s your home too, doll,” Bucky reminded her from where he had hopped up on the counter to eat his pancakes.

“Thanks, Buck” Y/N replied with a smile, dropping Tony’s hand and eating her own pancakes. Steve really was a pretty good cook.

 

**1pm Saturday afternoon, Y/N’s Apartment**

Nat and Clint arrived at Y/N’s apartment with her list and her keys. Not feeling the need to knock or even announce themselves, they simply opened the door and strolled in. Finding the apartment vacant, they passed a look of disappoint to each other. They had been looking forward to possibly meeting Wayne and having an assassin-to-abuser chat with him. Y/N had asked them not to hurt him and they meant to keep their word to her. Talking never hurt anyone, right?

It didn’t take long to pack up Y/N things. She was right, she didn’t have much. Her mother’s jewelry fit in a small cloth bag and her father’s flag was in the top of the closet. Nat packed Y/N’s clothes in a rolling suitcase she found in the closet and they were just about to leave when Clint paused and squatted to the floor.

“What’s up?” Nat asked.

“Listen,” Clint replied, his hand on the floor. Nat stood still and focused. Someone was coming up the stairs. With a grin, she leaned the suitcase against the arm of the couch right where it would be seen and the two stepped back into the kitchen where they could watch the door without being seen. Sure enough, keys sounded in the door and it opened to reveal a large, ugly man with an even uglier scowl on his face enter the apartment and throw his keys into a bowl by the door with a clang.

“Y/N!” He bellowed angrily. The silent apartment had no reply. He turned toward the couch and stopped in his tracks when he saw the suitcase. “Y/N! What do you think you’re doing?!” He yelled, stomping to the bedroom. His loud footsteps sounded through the bedroom to bathroom and back again. He stared at the suitcase with a dumb expression on his face before he began to move toward the kitchen.

Nat stepped into the doorway just before he stepped through.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” He yelled, raising his big fists. The tip of an arrow at his temple stopped any movement he would have made toward Nat.

“I wouldn’t get any bright ideas if I were you,” Clint growled.

“I don’t think he’s capable of bright ideas,” Nat said with a smirk, stepping around the large man. “She’s not coming back Wayne, she’s leaving you for good.”

“What are you talking about?” Wayne demanded, his eyes following Nat around the room.

“Y/N, you moron,” Clint answered. “She’s not yours anymore.”

“I have the law on my side! She’s my wife.” He bellowed, his face turning red with anger.

“The law?” Nat whispered, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she stepped into Wayne’s personal space. “Does the law give you the right to hit her? Strangle her? Break her ribs?”

“She’s not your personal punching bag anymore.” Clint added, moving away from Wayne just in case Nat forgot her promise to Y/N. He needn’t have worried.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Nat said to Wayne. “Not yet anyway. But know this, the instant Y/N gives me the go-ahead, your ass will be in a sling, put there by me and I’m just the head of a rather impressive line of people who want nothing more than to see you pay for the hell you’ve put Y/N through.”

“Watch your back, Wayne old boy.” Clint added as they both backed to the door and picked up Y/N’s things. “You won’t get another warning and you won’t see us coming.”

With that, they left Wayne alone in the apartment, his face still red with anger.

  
**11pm Sunday Night, Stark Tower**

It had been decided that Tony would stay with Y/N while the rest of the team went on the mission. They were scheduled to leave the next morning and would be gone for the rest of the week. Y/N had fixed a full meal for them that night and everyone sat around the table after the food was gone, patting their full stomachs and talking. Y/N sat back in her chair between Tony and Nat and let her heart soak it all up. They weren’t just treating each other like a team, or even like friends, they were a family.

Insecurities nagged at the back of Y/N’s mind, wondering if and when they get bored with her, what will she do? Assuming she can really free herself of Wayne, what would she want to do, where would she want to go? She didn’t really want to leave the city, but she might have to depending on what happened with Wayne. She considered the possibility of moving to Seattle, she had a cousin there who might take her in until she could get on her feet. Y/N was lost in these thoughts, unaware of Tony’s eyes straying to her face and Bucky watching her from across the table or the tear gathering in the corner of her eye at the thought of leaving.

“Y/N?” Bucky said softly, under the dim of other conversations. “You good?”

Y/N’s eyes snapped his and she smiled and nodded, dashing the tear away. Bucky smiled back and returned to his conversation with Sam and Steve. They sounded like brothers the way they fought over which of the original Star Trek characters was the best. Steve and Bucky had only recently discovered the show and had binge watched the series on Netflix. Steve like Kirk best, Sam was a McCoy man all the way, Bucky just thought Uhura was hot.

“Hey,” Tony’s voice floated into her ear and she turned to look into his concerned eyes. “You sure you’re okay? You seem kind of pensive.”

“I’m alright, Tony,” Y/N replied with a gentle smile that turned his heart to mush. “I’m just thinking.”

“Care to share?” He asked, leaning towards her but trying to not invade her space too much, Bruce’s words of warning ringing in his head. He needn’t have bothered because Y/N leaned forward to speak just inches from his face.

“Let’s talk tomorrow morning after the team leaves okay? I don’t want to bring anything up here that can be hashed out with just the two of us.”

“As you wish,” Tony replied with a smile, secretly hoping she followed his reference. She smiled and turned to talk to Nat without any open recognition of his reference.

The team broke up soon after that, everyone needing to get sleep for the sunrise take-off in the morning.

  
**12am, Monday Morning, a bar across town**

Wayne King leaned against the bar as he watched his pals fight over a game of pool. The glass of whiskey in his hand was empty but he still took another swig just in case there were a few errant drops left.

“One more, Lewis,” he called to the bartender as he sloppily put his glass back down on the bar. Lewis shook his head with a frown but filled the glass again.

“Last one Wayne, then you’re cut off.” He said gruffly. Wayne nodded, knowing the bar down the road was his next stop anyway.

“Hey Wayne,” his friend Kenny plopped down on the stool next to him. “Why aren’t you heading home yet?”

“No one to go home to,” Wayne replied as he lifted his glass to his chapped lips.

“What happened to your wife?” Kenny asked, signaling Lewis for another beer.

“Gone.” Wayne replied as the amber liquid burned his throat.

“She left you?” Kenny asked, eyebrows raised. He knew Wayne could be an angry, rough man but had no idea just how abusive he was.

“Not for long,” Wayne replied as he dropped some money on the bar and stood to leave. “I’ll get her back, one way or another.”

Kenny watched in stunned silence as Wayne walked out of the bar. Any woman who could put up with Wayne for more than a few minutes was to be commended. If Wayne’s wife actually left him, Kenny wished her good luck and God’s speed to stay away from Wayne.

  
**5am, Monday Morning, Stark Tower**

Y/N rose early to make sure everyone at least got a decent cup of coffee before they left. Steve may be a master at pancakes but his coffee tasted like it was brewed in a combat boot. The large coffee pot had just filled when Bucky stumbled into the kitchen, mostly led by his nose to the coffee pot. Once he had a full mug in his hands and had taken a sip, he turned to see Y/N sitting on the opposite counter.

“Mornin’,” he mumbled with a small smile, his hair sticking up everywhere. He may have been dressed, but he wasn’t really awake yet.

“Morning,” Y/N replied with a soft smile. Bucky stood next to the counter where she was sitting and leaned back slightly. His shoulder touching hers. They both took some comfort in the connection and let silence sit in the room as they sipped their coffee.

“Y/N?” Bucky said softly.

“Yeah, Buck?”

“Do you have nightmares?”

“I used to have them when Wayne first started… showing his anger, but then they stopped for some reason, even though he didn’t.” She replied looking down into her half empty cup.

“I think I might know why they stopped.” He replied, looking over at her profile.

“Why?” She asked, turning to look into his blue eyes.

“Same reason I didn’t have nightmares much when I was the Winter Soldier. Bruce says that dreams are the subconscious’s way of dealing with reality. But for me, reality was so bad that my subconscious didn’t know what to do with it, so I didn’t dream at all. But here, living here and being safe, I have nightmares a lot. My subconscious is finally dealing with all the shit that happened.”

“What are you saying, Bucky?” She asked. He turned and stood in front of her, rest a hand on her arm.

“I’m saying that now that you’re safe here, your nightmares might come back to try to deal with what happened. I want you to know that I’m here for you, at any time of the night, if you need anything. I’m right down the hall from you.”

“Thank you, Bucky,” Y/N put her coffee cup down and pulled him into a hug. His arms rested gently around her waist and he let her hug him as long as she wanted, knowing what it felt like to have a hug end before you were ready. The sound of a throat clearing broke them apart, they turned to see Steve standing in the doorway.

“Good morning,” he said. “Is that coffee I smell?”

“Yep,” Y/N replied, letting Bucky move back to where he was next to her. “Freshly brewed and not by Bucky.”

“Hey,” Bucky tried to look offended but couldn’t stop his smile. “My coffee’s not that bad.”

Steve sniggered, “No, it’s not that bad, Buck. Thanks, Y/N.”

“Of course, I wanted to make sure you all got off to a good start.” She replied. The rest of the team filed in slowly, drawn by the smell of fresh coffee and when Nat strolled in with two boxes of doughnuts, Tony finally made an appearance looking like he hadn’t slept at all. Steve walked everyone through the specifics of the mission one more time as they ate and finally, it was time to go. They put their mugs in the sink and one by one said goodbye to Y/N.

Bruce and Sam waved as they left, Clint smiled a wicked smile and asked about having his favorite meal when they got back. Nat told her to call her if she needed anything. Steve made sure Y/N knew she could ask JARVIS for anything she needed before he filed out of the kitchen. Bucky couldn’t help but pull Y/N into a bear hug and kiss the top of her head.

“See ya later, kid.” He said softly as he followed Steve out of the kitchen and to the elevator. Y/N sighed, feeling the empty kitchen until a throat cleared behind her. Turning, she smiled at Tony, sitting on one of the stools at the counter.

“Time to talk now?” He asked, standing to refill their coffee cups. “Doughnut?”

“I believe I will. Chocolate covered please.” she replied, taking a seat on a stool. Tony sat next to her, placing her coffee and doughnut in front of her.

“So, what shall we talk about?” Tony asked, his heart beating hard and fast, hoping she didn’t want to leave already.

  
**7am, Monday Morning, Stark Tower**

Y/N took a sip of coffee and a bite of her doughnut, chewing slowly as her thoughts formed into coherent sentences.

“I’ve been thinking,” she started, swiveling her stool to face Tony. “I know everyone has told me that I’m welcome here but last night I started to think that I might need to leave the city if I’m to truly be free of Wayne. He will follow me throughout New York but he won’t leave the state for me.”

“Where would you go?” Tony asked, trying not to let his face reveal his feelings.

“Seattle. I have a cousin there.”

“Seattle? As in Washington State? As in, across the country?” Tony asked, a lump forming in his throat.

“Yeah, that Seattle,” she replied slowly, trying to discern his reaction.

“Well, that’s an option but what if I could assure you that Wayne won’t be able to find you again?”

“How can you do that, Tony? I know you have a lot of influence, but you can’t take him out or anything.”

“How about we make a deal. I promise to make sure that Wayne can’t find you, get to you, or hurt you. AND prove it to you to your satisfaction.”

“And what do you want from me in return?”

“Stay.” He replied quickly, his hands beginning to sweat. “Stay here in the tower or even at the compound upstate, but stay with us. Give us a chance. We’re not perfect, and I admit, we are a strange family, but everyone wants you to stay. I want you to stay.”

Y/N let her thoughts wander to all the possibilities, a million images flashing through her head. She could see herself staying there but she could also see herself following some of her life-long dreams that she’s never had opportunity to really explore. Although, she thought, there’s no reason she couldn’t do both.

“Alright, but I need some ground rules.” She finally replied.

“Name it.”

“First, I need you to lower my pay or let me pay rent of some kind. It’s not right to let me live here for free. Second, I would like to know that I’m not locked in here. I do have other interests besides my job.”

“Okay,“ Tony began, “First, no your pay will stay the same for now. I’m not taking money away from you or charging you rent to live in a safe place. We will discuss that again once Wayne is a non-issue. And second, as much as I want you to have total freedom, I think for now, it would be best if you stayed close to the tower. Again, just until Wayne is taken care of and you’re free of him. Until that time, if there’s something you want to do or someplace specific you want to go, I think we need to make sure you are escorted.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Y/N nodded thoughtfully and sighed. One day life would normalize, whatever that meant. “In the meantime, it is Monday so I guess I should get to work. Everyone will be gone for a week so I’ll have plenty of time to do some deep cleaning in their rooms. Sam’s oil stains aren’t going to clean themselves.”

“Whatever suites you, I’ll be in my lab. JARVIS knows you have access to all our labs and offices one floor down.”

“Okay, did you want me to clean those too?”

“No, I have people who take care of the offices and labs. But just in case you need anything, I’ll be in my lab on this floor today.”

Y/N nodded and went off to work, her mind full of Tony’s words. It wasn’t like she was just itching to leave the tower, but she knew that at some point, she would want to leave. It probably was too early to think about leaving with Wayne still looking for her, at least, she assumed Wayne was looking for her. When Nat and Clint came back with her few belongings, they didn’t mention running into him at her apartment, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t see him, just that they didn’t want to tell her about it. Either way, Y/N was sure Wayne wouldn’t let her go without a fight.

“Mrs. King,” JARVIS’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes, JARVIS?” Y/N replied to the ceiling simply because she didn’t know where else to look.

“Mr. Stark would like me to inform you that he does not require you to prepare dinner this evening, but would like you to meet him on the roof at 7pm.”

“Alright, thank you JARVIS.” Y/N replied, picking up her cleaning supplies and moving into another room.

“You’re welcome, Mrs. King.” The AI replied politely. Y/N chuckled. She didn’t yet know where the inspiration for JARVIS’s personality came from, but it certainly wasn’t from Tony himself. JARVIS was way too polite.  
At 6:45pm, Y/N asked JARVIS how to get to the roof. He directed her the elevator and moved it up the roof without being asked. Y/N exited into a small greenhouse on the roof. In the middle of the greenhouse, Tony had set up a small table covered in a white linen cloth and candles. She walked through a myriad of flowers and green plants, their scents wafting through the air dancing on the light notes of soft paint music. Just as she arrived at the table, Tony stepped out from behind a tall plant with a single rose in his hand.

“I thought you could use a little time out of the tower and this is easier than buying out a whole restaurant.” He said with a small, if cocky, smile.

“Tony… this is lovely.” Y/N responded just above a whisper. It had been so long since anyone took any extra time for her, much less planned a candlelit dinner. Tony stepped in front of her and handed her the rose.

“I don’t want to overstep, I know your life is about to change drastically, but I wanted to…” Tony paused, looking this feet for a moment, searching for words. “I wanted to make sure you knew how special you are… to all of us. You deserve so much more than life has dealt you so far and I want to make sure you get every chance at happiness.”

Y/N bit her lower lip to keep the tears back but it wasn’t working. She looked down, trying to hide her face so that Tony wouldn’t see, but his hand on her chin lifted her face to his. He slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, tucking her head into his shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his waist. He slowly began to sway with the music, bringing Y/N along with him in a slow dance that was more comfort than actual dance.

“Tony,” Y/N lifted her head to look into his face. “This is one of the most amazing nights I can remember having in a very long time.”

“And dinner hasn’t even been served yet,” Tony replied cheekily. Y/N laughed as he sat her down at the small table and wheeled in a cart covered in food that Tony promised he didn’t cook himself. Without reservation, Y/N admitted to herself that she could get very used to this.

  
**10pm Wednesday Night, Stark Tower**

Tony and Y/N developed a rhythm in their days together. They would pass each other in the kitchen as Y/N went to work and Tony stumbled in, typically from his lab instead of his bed. They both worked separately most of the day, Y/N spent a couple hours in the music room, either playing the piano or reading a book. She even had a favorite chair that had just the perfect amount of natural light and cushion. When she played the piano, JARVIS piped the music into whatever room Tony was in and he would stop and listen to her music. She never ceased to amaze him. Her music flowed steady and strong, filled with emotion even a few rooms away. They would meet in the kitchen for dinner and then either watch a movie or just relax in the living room and talk until one of them started yawning.

Tonight was no exception but their normal evening chat was interrupted by JARVIS telling them that the jet had returned a few days early. No sooner had the announcement been made than the elevator doors dinged open and Bucky stepped into the room, limping and holding his side.

“What happened?” Y/N cried, running to his side.

“I got shot,” Bucky grumbled but accepted her help to the couch. Once he was seated and as comfortable as he was going to get, he started to explain. His cover got blown and a stray bullet went straight through his side. He said he was already bandaged up but Steve sent him home. Nat dropped him off and immediately returned to the team. The rest of the team would finish the mission and be home in three or four days.

“So let me get this straight,” Tony said from his chair, waving his glass of whiskey around. “You, a super soldier, got shot through and through, and you got sent home?”

“Yeah,” Bucky said, not able to meet Tony’s eyes. “Steve said it would be best since they couldn’t use me anymore on the mission and I needed to stop moving to heal.”

“Of course it was right for him to send you home!” Y/N said, sending Tony an indignant glare. “You should be home resting where I can take care of you while you heal, however long that takes.”

“It shouldn’t take more than a couple days, doll,” Bucky said, covering her hand with his. “I heal very quickly.”

“Even so, you should be home. Do you need help getting to your room?” Y/N asked.

“No, I can make it.” Bucky stood carefully. “Goodnight, I’ll sleep as long as I can tomorrow. Sleeping helps the healing process.”

“Okay, goodnight, Bucky. Have JARVIS get me if you need anything,” Y/N instructed. Bucky nodded to Tony and went to his room.

“He will be okay, right?” Y/N asked Tony, her eyes showing real concern. “He just seems like he needs caring for. Maybe we could find him a girlfriend too. He seems lonely even in the middle of the crowd.”

Tony grinned, getting an answer to the question that had been nagging him but he feared to ask. He suspected that Y/N just wanted to help Bucky, that she saw a wounded puppy of a man instead of a potential boyfriend, he just needed confirmation. Happy with what he now knew of Y/N’s feelings for Bucky, he stood and stretched.

“We will see what we can do in the morning, okay?” Tony suggested, taking slow steps toward Y/N. “Lets let him sleep tonight.” He continued forward until he was right in front of Y/N and waited. She slowly nodded thoughtfully, not taking her eyes from his.

“Tony?” She started hesitantly.

“Yes?” He answered, waiting patiently as she gathered her thoughts.

“I have been through too much to dance around a topic. I need straight answers and honesty. No games.”

“Okay.”

“How do you feel about me?” She asked, raising her chin with a boldness she didn’t feel.

“I want to kiss you but I will wait until you want it too.“ He answered immediately and honestly.

“Is that all?” She asked, taking a step toward him.

“No.” He whispered. “That’s not all, but you’re not mine. You’re still married and you deserve time and space to heal without anyone influencing you.”

“Until I’m ready to make a decision, you will still protect me?” She asked in a small voice.

“Always. Even if you never chose me, I will always protect you to the best of my ability.” Tony promised, the back of his hand grazing her cheek. Tears filled her eyes as she saw the truth in his words and the depth of his feelings in his eyes.

“Thank you.” She whispered, a tear making its way down her cheek only to stopped by Tony’s thumb banishing it away. He pulled her into his arms and they stood holding each other until Y/N pulled away and said goodnight.

Tony watched her go, wanting so much to comfort her and care for her, but knowing that she needed to have space to heal. She deserved that and much more. He sighed and drained his whiskey glass. Another long night in his lab, he was almost finished with his latest inspiration…

  
**12am, Wednesday night, outside Stark Tower**

Wayne stared up at the tall tower as if he were sizing up the enemy. She was in there and he was going to get her back, he just had to be patient. Staying out of sight, just in case there were cameras that might spot him, he watched as the guards changed and noted the time and how long they ignored their screens and chatted. He would come back during the day and make note of all the cameras and their patterns and timing. And if he was patient and very careful, the perfect time would come and she would be his once again and forever.

  
**1:30am, Thursday morning, Stark Tower**

_“Damn you woman! Why can’t you do anything right?! I’ll teach you who’s boss in this house!” Wayne yelled harshly as he started swinging his huge fists, hitting Y/N’s shoulders and chest. She knew it would make him even more mad, but she curled into a ball and tried to protect her head as best she could. She wasn’t expecting him to grab and haul her to her feet. He held in her place as she bent over in pain from his blows and brought his knee up into her ribs. Her breath left her in a rush and Wayne let her fall to the floor, gasping. Tears filled her eyes but she kept silent to avoid Wayne’s wrath even more._

Y/N tossed and turned all night, her dreams filling her sleep with images of Wayne’s angry face and his large fists landing blows on her arms and chest. She bolted up as she woke, holding back a loud cry. Even in her panic, she didn’t want to bother anyone. She sat on her bed, trying to control her breathing when a soft knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” she called softly. The door cracked open and Tony’s dark head came through.

“You okay? JARVIS alerted me that your heart rate was high.” He said, stepping into the room and taking a seat in the chair that was still by the bed.

“I’m okay, Tony,” Y/N replied, sitting up with her back against the headboard. “It was just a bad dream.”

“So the nightmares have started?” Tony sighed. “I wish you would have had some more time before they kicked in.” Y/N merely shrugged, not really having a response for him. She imagined that he had had his fair share of nightmares and suspected that was why he didn’t sleep much. That being said, he probably wasn’t the most qualified counselor in this area.

“You weren’t sleeping?” She asked, knowing he wasn’t.

“No, but that doesn’t really matter. JARVIS would have woken me anyway.”

“What? Why? If you get to sleep, you should stay asleep.”

“I told him to wake me if it looked like you were having a nightmare.”

“Oh.” Y/N replied a little sheepishly. She had never had someone watch over her so carefully. Tony’s words before she went to bed were still ringing in her head and it made her shy. A huge yawn suddenly took over her mouth and she couldn’t help but let it out.

“I’ll let you try to get back to sleep,” Tony said as he stood. “If you need anything or just want some company, let JARVIS know and he will get me, okay?”

“Okay,” Y/N replied as she scooted back down under her fluffy blanket.

“Promise me.” Tony said from the doorway.

“Promise.” Y/N was asleep again when her head hit the pillow. Tony smiled at her serene expression and softly closed her door.

Back in his lab, he worked quickly. He was almost finished and wanted to give it to her as soon as possible. He glanced up at the clock and realized that 4:37am wasn’t exactly the best gift-giving time of day. He gently boxed it up and went to the kitchen. Sitting on one of the stools by the counter, he laid his head on his crossed arms and waited. She would be starting coffee in a couple of hours.

  
**6:45am Thursday morning, Stark Tower**

Y/N walked into the kitchen and stopped, surprised to see Tony sound asleep and lightly snoring at the counter, a small blue box sitting in front of his folded arms. A smile spread across her face as she stood in the doorway and took a moment to watch him sleep. She had long since given up on the guilt of not loving her husband, he clearly didn’t love her back. She had decided just this morning to take the plain gold band off of her finger. A marriage wasn’t what she had and there was no longer any need to maintain the farce of it. Tony had inserted himself into her life and kind of taken it over. She still felt like she had control, but Tony was such a big personality that whenever he was near her, she felt surrounded by him. And it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Walking into the kitchen softly, she slowly started the coffee machine. As the scent of coffee filled the kitchen, Tony’s snoring stuttered to a halt and he slowly lifted his head, eyes blinking, trying to focus.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Y/N said softly from across the counter as she leaned on her arms towards him. “If you think sleeping in the kitchen is good, you ought to try a bed, it’s amazing.”

“Been there, got lonely,” Tony mumbled, wiping a hand down his face to wake up. “I was waiting for you though, I made something for you.” He pushed the small blue box across the counter toward Y/N. She smiled into his eyes and carefully opened it to reveal a silver locket on a delicate chain.

“Oh Tony, it’s beautiful!” Y/N exclaimed as she lifted the chain from the box. The locket dangled in the air as Y/N examined it. “You made this?”

“Well, JARVIS helped.” Tony shrugged. “It’s got an interesting feature though.”

“Oh really?” Y/N asked, her eyes dancing.

“Yeah, open it.” Tony instructed, moving to the coffee pot and picking up his Iron Man mug.

Y/N popped the locket open to reveal what looked like the tiniest version of an Arc reactor ever created. She gently touched it with her fingertip and watched as the tiny reactor began glow a blue identical to the reactor in Tony’s chest. Staring at it, Y/N missed the actual reactor in Tony’s chest also glow at the same moment.

Y/N grinned as she opened the clasp and locked the necklace in place around her neck. Moving across the kitchen, she wrapped her arms around Tony’s neck and hung on.

“Thank you, Tony.” Her voice muffled against his neck. “It’s beautiful and I’ll wear it always.”

“I hoped you would,” he replied, his arms holding her firmly but gently. Even Bruce would have approved of this hug. The clearing of a throat drew them apart and Y/N turned to see Bucky standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

“Am I interrupting anything?” He asked, knowing good and well he was.

“It’s fine Bucky. I’m going to get to work,” Y/N replied, stepping away from Tony with a quick smile. She quickly left the kitchen, leaving the two men standing on either side of the coffee pot, leaning against the counter.

“She’s still a little jumpy,” Bucky noted, taking a sip of coffee.

“Not as much as a few days ago though,” Tony replied thoughtfully.

“Sorry I interrupted your hug.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Actually, I am.” Bucky countered. “I see how you look at her when she’s not looking. I may not know much, but I know that look.”

“Yeah well, I don’t want to push her.” Tony replied, refilling his cup and moving away from the counter. “You can cook breakfast for yourself?”

“Yep, I’m good.” Bucky replied, lifting his mug in a salute as Tony exited the kitchen heading toward his lab.

  
  
**1:30pm, Thursday Afternoon, Stark Tower**

Y/N cleaned quickly, her mind staying stubbornly focused on Tony. The necklace lay warm against her skin and every time she bent over, it moved, reminding her even more of Tony. So preoccupied was she that no sooner had she started cleaning than she realized she was done. Having no one to make a mess sure made cleaning go much faster.

Entering the music room, she sat at the piano and lightly ran her fingers over the keys. She always took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the instrument before she started playing. A soft love song ran through her mind and her fingers followed the notes and the piano began to sing under her hands. Her mind wondered as she played, free from all constraints and frailty. She was untouchable when she was creating music.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Bucky walk in and carefully sit himself down in a chair where he could see her face. A smile played over his lips as his eyes closed and he let the sound wash over him. He didn’t know the name of the song, but he felt it’s positive power as he let his emotions float on invisible notes through the air. As the tune slowed, it took a sad turn and Bucky opened his eyes, surprised to find Y/N blurry as tears filled his eyes in reaction to the music. Y/N’s weren’t dry either.

Tony came in as the sad tune continued and he sat himself down next to Y/N on the piano bench. He waited until the music stopped, tears flowed freely down Y/N’s face. She turned to look at him and he took her face in his hands, wiping at the tears with his thumbs.

“Please,” he whispered, heedless of Bucky watching them.

“Yes,” she replied, moving a hand to cover his. Tony slowly moved forward until his lips hovered over hers and waited for one more confirmation. “Yes.”

He didn’t hesitate to let his lips fall on hers in a gentle kiss. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer on the bench. He ended the kiss sooner than she would have liked but he didn’t want to push her. Allowing him to kiss her was already a huge step. He rested his forehead against hers and inhaled her scent. She smelled clean and fresh with a hint of lavender.

Bucky stood quietly and left the room. Y/N buried her face in Tony’s neck, breathing him in and reveling in the feel of his strong arms around her, protecting her. She took a deep breath and pulled back from him to look into his face.

“Tony,” Y/N started, “I wish I could…”

“Shhhh,” Tony interrupted. “I’m not asking you to make decisions right now or to make me any kind of promises. Let that kiss be what it was.”

“What was it?” She asked softly.

“It was me and you, finding comfort and expressing emotions to each other. I’m here for you and I always will be, even if I never get to kiss you again.”

Y/N smiled into his eyes and sighed relief. The feel of his lips were amazing and his touch calmed her, but she needed to find a place of calm and healing within herself before she started to rely too much on him. Tony returned her smile, let his hand graze down her face before he took himself back to work. He needed to leave the room while he could. One more kiss and he wouldn’t be able to make himself walk away from her.  
Y/N sighed once she was alone, letting the kiss run through her mind, analyzing every millisecond of it before she let herself move on. Turning her mind to dinner, she decided to make something special for Tony and Bucky. The rest of the team wouldn’t be back for a few days so cooking for three would be a cinch.

In the kitchen, she took stock of the ingredients at hand and realized that a few things were missing. Not wanting to bother anyone, she asked JARVIS where the nearest market was to the Tower. Luckily it was just a couple bucks away and she could easily walk. Grabbing her purse and phone, she headed to the elevator and rode down to the ground level quickly, humming a tune to herself. She felt more light and free than she had felt in years.  
Exiting the tower, she turned right as JARVIS’s instructions indicated and found the market a couple blocks down. Finding what she needed quickly, she paid for the purchases and set back toward the tower. The tune Tony and she had danced to earlier in the week was playing through her head as she stopped at a flower vendor and chose a mixed bouquet of flowers for the kitchen.

Turning back toward the tower, Y/N had one bag in her hand and a bunch of flowers laying across her arm. She walked heedless of the people around her, so high on cloud nine was she. She didn’t notice the man who followed her from the tower. Or when he walked into the store after her. Or when he stopped at a magazine stand while she bought flowers. She would have recognized his tattered ball cap and scratched sunglasses had she noticed him. She would have smelled his cheap cologne on the breeze if the scent from the flowers in her arms hadn’t blocked out all other smells. And it’s because of all these factors that, when the rough hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her down an ally, she couldn’t even scream. Only a scattered bunch of flowers and a small paper bag of groceries marked the spot where she once stood, and they were quickly dispersed by the feet of unknowing passers by. Knowledge flooded her mind as soon as she smelled his aftershave: Wayne.

Y/N was shoved into the back of a car and Wayne pushed her feet aside as he got in behind her.

“Drive,” he said in a rough voice and the car sped into motion, throwing Y/N in the back of the seat. She pulled herself up to sit properly and got as far away from Wayne as possible. He leered at her from across the dirty seat. “You thought you could hide from me? I will always find you and I will always get you back.”

Y/N swallowed and didn’t answer. Her muscles froze with fear as his dark beady eyes watched her carefully, almost as if he expected her to make a move. The car swerved and Y/N grabbed onto the door handle to make an escape but Wayne was too fast and he jerked her away from the door. Pinning her hands behind her, he quickly bound them with a zip tie so tightly that she immediately began to bleed. The car swerved again without being able to hold on, her head smacked into the window and with a crack, darkness flooded her world.

  
**5:00pm, Thursday afternoon, Stark Tower**

“WHERE IS SHE?” Tony yelled to JARVIS. “Find her now!”

Exiting his lab after dozing off for a few hours, Tony couldn’t find Y/N anywhere. Bucky had fallen back to sleep as well so neither man realized she was gone. Standing in the kitchen, they waited on baited breath as JARVIS finally popped up a holographic image of a dilapidated warehouse somewhere near the river. A small blue dot indicated Y/N’s location.

“What do you want to do?” Bucky asked Tony. “Suite up and take them out or something more subtle?”

Tony paused with an uncharacteristic moment of self-control. Suiting up and taking them out meant that lives would be lost, possibly innocent lives. He and Bucky both would do whatever necessary to return Y/N safely and they could and would kill to do so. And while Tony was personally ready to kill Wayne, he wanted something so much more painful and creative to repay Wayne for his actions against Y/N.

“Bucky,” Tony began, laying a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “If we go in, guns blazing, I’m going to kill him and I have other plans. Let’s just get Y/N back in one piece and when the rest of the team is back, talk to everyone together.”

Bucky frowned, “I sure hope you have something particularly devious planned for Wayne because I’m thinking of ripping his arms off and beating him with them.”

“I agree, but trust me, there is a plan and it’s pretty damn masterful.” Tony nodded and pulled Bucky with him. “Let’s go get her back and not kill Wayne.”

“But punching is okay?” Bucky asked hopefully.

“Just not to death.” Tony replied as the elevator pulled them down to the garage. “Make sure he’s still breathing when we leave. And only minimal broken bones.”

“Okay,” Bucky replied grumpily. The men jumped into one of Tony’s many cars which was fully loaded with guns and amo. Bucky prepped while Tony drove following JARVIS’s instructions. They arrived at the warehouse quickly, exited the car, and slowly edged up to the building.

“JARVIS, how many are we looking at in there?” Tony whispered into his watch.

“Heat signatures indicate three,” JARVIS’s soft voice replied. “Mrs. King is currently located in the north of end to the building while the other two are on the south end.”

Tony nodded to Bucky and moved to silently open a door. Slipping in, they separated. Tony went north and Bucky went south.

“Hey,” Tony whispered just before Bucky rounded a corner. “Don’t kill him.” Bucky nodded with an angry frown. Tony sighed and moved forward, hoping he was making the right decision in not doing away with Wayne right here and now. JARVIS quietly directed him to a large metal door in the northernmost part of the warehouse. With a prayer that it wasn’t locked, Tony leaned into the door with his shoulder and it creaked open. His heart broke at what he saw.

On a dirty mattress on the floor, Y/N lay on her side facing the door. Her hands bound behind her back, her ankles tied with a piece of rope, and a filthy strip of cloth blindfolded her but couldn’t hide the blood covering her head. When the creak of the door echoed through the room, she visibly started shaking but made no sound.

“Oh honey,” Tony whispered as he rush to her. “Y/N, it’s me, babe, it’s Tony.”

“Tony?” Her voice cracked as spoke and sob echoed throughout the empty room.

“I’m here, babe” Tony replied as he moved behind her and cut her hands and feet lose. Removing the ties around her wrists reopened the wounds and they started bleeding again. He carefully removed the blindfold, trying not to pull too hard against the dried blood that bonded the nasty cloth to her face. Once it was finally off, he helped her sit up, making sure that his hands never left her arms or shoulders in case her head injury was severe.

“How did you find me?” Y/N whispered, her eyes filling with tears and blinking in the light. Tony tapped the locket around her neck.

“As long as you wear this, I will always find you,” he promised. Y/N’s tears began to fall in earnest as Tony took her in his arms and cradled her against his chest. Her eyes closed as she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms around his neck. Walking out of the room, he met Bucky coming the hallway.

“Ready to go?” Tony asked him. Bucky nodded but stopped at the sight of Y/N’s blood crusted scalp and bleeding wrists. He carefully put his hand on the back of her head, causing her eyes to open and look at him.

“Buck,” she sobbed. “You didn’t kill him, did you?” Bucky paused, his eyes meeting Tony’s over her head.

“No, doll,” Bucky replied, his voice harsh with held back emotion. “He’s alive. He’s not happy, but he’s alive.”

“Thank you,” she replied, laying her head back down on Tony’s shoulder as the throbbing got worse. “Please take me home.” She whispered as she once again lost consciousness.

The men practically ran back to the car with their precious cargo.

“Keys are under the dash,” Tony said, getting into the back seat with Y/N in his arms. “You drive and don’t spare the horses.” Bucky nodded and got them back to the tower in half the time it took to get to the warehouse, only breaking a moderate number of traffic laws.

Bucky held the doors open for Tony as he carried Y/N straight to Bruce’s medical lab. They stopped in surprise when they found the rest of the team gathered there, but Tony wasted no time in answering the barrage of questions and yelling that instantly ensued when everyone saw the blood on Y/N’s head and wrists. He quickly carried Y/N to the small hospital bed in the corner and called JARVIS to run a full scan. He vaguely heard Bucky explain in the background.

“Wayne kidnapped her,” was the only part Tony heard and it made his blood boil. He wondered again if he shouldn’t have let Bucky kill him. Or better yet, killed Wayne himself. Bruce gently moved around to the other side of the bed and began examining Y/N who was still unconscious.

“JARVIS, what’d ya got?” Tony asked when informed the scan was complete.

“Light concussion, abrasions to her wrists and ankles, high levels of adrenaline.” JARVIS reported impartially. Bruce nodded his agreement about the concussion and began lightly rubbing at her head with some damp gauze. Without warning, Y/N’s eyes popped open and she sat up with a scream, shocking everyone into silence.

“Hey, you’re safe,” Tony put his hands on her shoulders to get her attention. “You’re safe, honey.”

“Tony!” She cried and wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his neck, and let her tears loose. “He took me, Tony. He took me and said that I would never be free from him. He said he would always find me, that I would always be his.” Her words tumbled out with her tears. Tony only rubbed her back, held her close, and let her cry and get it all out. Finally, she seemed to calm down and lifted her head to look into his eyes.

“Thank you for saving me.” She whispered.

“Always,” he promised, bring his hand to chase away the tears left on her face. Y/N finally noticed that they weren’t alone. Looking around, every single member of the team was crowded into the room watching her with concern. Nat, however, looked ready to kill someone.

“You’re all back.” She said with a sniffle.

“It’s a long story,” Steve began.

“Finished early,” Clint interrupted, his arm around Nat’s shoulders, keeping her from finding Wayne and strangling him with his own intestines.

“Apparently not that long.” Steve mumbled.

“Oh,” Y/N replied, her eyes blinking. Bruce went back to dabbing at her head while Tony began cleaning her wrists. It didn’t take them long to get her cleaned up, Bruce gave her some pain killers that relaxed her enough to let a nurse take over. Tony made sure she was okay and then gestured the team outside.

“What the hell happened?” Nat demanded, her eyes shooting fire at Tony and Bucky.

“From what JARVIS told me, she went to the market a couple blocks away and Wayne grabbed her,” Tony quickly explained.

“And what were you and the Winter Fairy doing while she was just walking around town vulnerable?” Nat asked, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head dangerously.

“Sleeping,” Tony mumbled behind his hand. Nat threw her hands up in exasperation, Clint moving behind her to hold her back if necessary.

“Listen, we screwed up,” Bucky said. “But now we have a decision to make. How to do we deal with Wayne?”

“You didn’t kill him?” Nat asked, moving to take care of it herself.

“No, I have a better idea.” Tony said, his words stopping her in her tracks. “Besides, Y/N doesn’t want us to kill him. I’m going to need Thor and Loki to make this work though.”

“Thor is scheduled to drop in tonight,” Steve explained. “When we finished the mission, he and Loki were going to check on Jane and Darcy and then come here.”

“Good,” Tony replied. “Team meeting tonight over dinner.”

Everyone nodded and went to get cleaned up from their mission. Tony returned to Y/N’s side. She was awake and calm. He moved a chair to sit next to her bed and took her hand, gently kissing her knuckles.

“How you feeling now, babe?” He asked softly.

“Better, the meds have kicked in.” Y/N replied with a small smile.

“Why did you leave the tower?” He asked, his eyes pleading with her.

“I went to get a few ingredients because I was going to cook something nice for dinner tonight,” she explained, realizing how stupid it was. “Why didn’t JARVIS tell you I was leaving?”

“I didn’t want you to feel like I was taking over your life so I didn’t tell him to let me know if you left,” Tony explained.

“But you felt like you needed to give me a tracker?” She fired back gently.

“Well…. Yeah, I needed to know that you were safe.” Tony replied sheepishly looking down at his feet.

“I’m glad you did,” Y/N replied, making Tony’s eyes fly back to hers. He saw nothing but gratitude. “And thank you for not killing Wayne, although I’m sure Bucky did some damage.”

“I’m sure he did, I haven’t asked him yet though,” Tony replied, scooting the chair forward a bit. “Listen, I need to talk to you about Wayne. I have a plan but I will only share it with the others if you are okay with it.”

“Tell me,” she replied. Tony outlined his entire plan to her, making sure she followed all the ins and outs and the legal work required. He made sure that she understood what she would get out of it and why he was doing it. He needed her to know that it was all for her and not himself. Many people have labeled Tony Stark selfish and they were not always wrong. But this wasn’t about him, it never was about him, it was always about her and always would be. Y/N listened carefully, adding a few details here and there, but ultimately nodded, agreeing with his plan. He laid a gently kiss on her hand that he still held and couldn’t make himself leave the room, even after she fell back to sleep.

  
**11pm, Thursday Night, Stark Tower**

The team sat around the huge table, Thor and Loki still in most of their armor as Tony laid out the plan as he did for Y/N. Bucky had already filled them in on who Y/N was and everything that had happened to that point. Thor had to restrain Loki from killing Wayne right there. Loki declared that Wayne had no honor; no Asgardian man who ever think of harming his wife in such a manner.

As Tony laid out the plan, everyone was on board, although Nat and Bucky wanted to take things a step further. Thor and Loki grinned when they heard their part of the plan, Loki was especially excited and had a few details to add, to which everyone heartily agreed.

Tony stole away from the table briefly to see if Y/N felt like joining them. He found her sitting up in her bed where he had moved her after she fell asleep.

“Hey, babe,” he started softly. “You feel like eating and meeting Thor and Loki?”

“Oh, um, do I look okay? I’ve never met a god before.” Y/N ran her hand nervously through her hair. She had a bandage on her head, both of her wrists were wrapped, and her once healing black eye was now as dark as if she had just been punched. She looked exhausted and wary but she was here and alive.

“You look perfect,” Tony assured her, giving her his hands to help stand and remain steady on her feet. Once she was solidly walking on her own, he walked with her to the kitchen where everyone was still around the table. Thor and Loki stood as soon as they saw her and moved to greet her, both silently marveling at how strong she looked considering what she had been through in the past couple of weeks.

“Lady Y/N,” Thor began in all his grandeur, “It will be my honor to fight in your name.”

Y/N let out a giggle as Thor laid a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Tony frowned. Loki stood to one side, his eyes darkening as he took in her injuries and bandages.

“This is my brother, Loki,” Thor gestured to Loki. “He is honored as well.” Y/N locked eyes with Loki. She raised her chin and met his gaze as he silently evaluated her. She was battered but her inner strength was apparent and the sparkle in her eye caught his attention. To Y/N, Loki had much the same look as Bucky. He was misunderstood and needed looking after.

“Nice to meet you, Loki,” Y/N said softly but without wavering, despite how nervous he was making her. Thor bumped Loki with his elbow, jarring him out of his thoughts. Loki gave a small bow and took Y/N’s hand in his, she was startled at how cold his skin was to the touch but didn’t pull away or flinch.

“I assure you, Lady Y/N,” Loki began, “that it will be the ultimate pleasure to see the human who did this to you pay dearly. And often. You do me a great honor by letting me stand for you in this scheme.”

“Thank you for your help.” Y/N replied.

“I have one detail to add to Stark’s plan, if you don’t mind.” Loki added, helping Y/N sit at the table.

"What is it?” She asked. Loki explained what he had in mind and Y/N couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she quickly agreed to his addition to the plan. They shared a wide grin as Tony cleared his throat from the chair next to her.

“Alright everyone,” Tony called their attention. “Eat up! Tomorrow we’re going Wayne hunting!” A cheer went up from around the table as food was passed around and conversations began. Y/N glanced up at Tony and found him looking at her. She smiled a slow smile and he returned it as his hand held hers under the table and his heart dip flip-flops in his chest.

  
**10am, Friday Morning, Across town**

Wayne stood in the shambles of his living room rubbing his bruised shoulder. That man who knocked him out last night had packed a wallop, and they had taken Y/N back. No matter, he would take her back again. She was his. She belonged to him and always would. He was a patient man and she would be his. The sound of keys in the front door startled him but not as much as what walked in. An evil grin spread across his face as Y/N slowly walked into the apartment and closed the door. She stood in front of the door, shaking slightly. They had bandaged her up but they shouldn’t have bothered, he thought as he stepped toward her.

“So you’ve come crawling back, have you?” He leered. “Couldn’t stay away?”

“I had to come back,” she replied, taking a step back but hitting the door, thus trapping herself.

“Because?” Wayne pushed.

“Because I missed you and I need your help.” Y/N said, trying to lift her chin to look into his face. Tears began to flow down her face. “They took my ring and won’t give it back.”

“Your wedding ring?” Wayne bellowed. “How dare they?! You’re MY wife! They have NO RIGHT to mess in our affairs and steal what I GAVE YOU!!”

“I tried to come back to you Wayne, they forced me to stay there with them. They stole me from you last night. I finally escaped and came directly here. Please Wayne, please take me back,” she begged tearfully. Wayne paused, trying to decide if he trusted her or not. He growled and moved toward the couch.

"We will get your ring back, don’t you worry. Make me some breakfast.” He said gruffly.

“Don’t I get a hug? Didn’t you miss me?” Y/N asked. Wayne frowned but moved toward her. He slowly wrapped his large arms around her and froze as electrical current coursed through his body. The current stopped and he fell to the floor. As his vision blurred and darkness overtook him, his wife changed into a tall man in a black and green tunic with longish dark hair and an evil grin.

  
  
**7pm, Friday evening, Stark Tower**

Y/N watched Wayne through the one way mirror as he paced the small room Loki had deposited him in. Whatever Loki had hit him with must have been strong because Wayne stayed unconscious most of the day. When he was finally awake, a medic went in just to check him out, left him a glass of water which Wayne swiftly smashed against the wall, and since then no one had entered the room or spoken with Wayne. They were waiting on Tony’s lawyer to finish his work.

The lawyer finally came with a completed packet of divorce papers. Y/N looked them over even though she really didn’t know what divorce papers ought to say. The lawyer explained everything to her, that Wayne was getting a very good deal given his actions against her. The reason for divorce was “irreconcilable differences” and split everything they had according to what each brought into the marriage. Y/N kept her stuff and Wayne kept his. Given that they didn’t really have anything, this was kind of a mute point.

Now, the trick was how to get Wayne to sign them. To Tony, this was the easiest thing in the world. Simply inform Wayne it was over and he had no choice but to sign. Y/N knew better. Wayne would have to be convinced that he would never win, couldn’t ever win, and then maybe he would sign willingly. Loki said he would be more than happy to continue lending his assistance, but it was important to Y/N that Wayne sign the papers willingly. She had a hard time explaining exactly why, but everyone agreed that if it was important to her, it was important to them.

Now, watching Wayne pace as the lawyer walked him through the divorce papers was making Y/N rethink her decision. The way Wayne had his jaw set, she knew he wasn’t ready to sign willingly. Bucky stood to one side of the table, ready to protect the lawyer if necessary. Tony stood by Y/N’s side as they waited.

“You don’t have to be here for this, you know.” Tony said, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“I know,” Y/N replied. “I want to be here. I need to be here. In fact, I need to go in there.”

“Wait a minute, honey,” Tony stepped in front of Y/N so that he could look directly into her face. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? He just kidnapped you yesterday, are you sure you’re ready to be in the same room with him?”

“Tony, this isn’t some stranger who wishes me harm, this is my husband. I have lived with this man, slept with him, cooked for him, and loved him even while he was hitting me. Now, it’s been a long time since I actually loved him, but being in the same room with him is nothing anymore. Besides, you’ll be with me.”

“I will?” Tony’s eyebrows met his hairline.

“Yes,” Y/N grabbed his hand. “Let’s go. I have an idea that might help Wayne realize just how over our marriage truly is.”

“Lead on, beautiful.” Tony said as he allowed Y/N to pull him towards the door. Y/N took a deep breath, gave Tony’s hand a squeeze, and opened the door and walked in with her head held high.

Wayne’s head snapped in her direction and he leered as he lunged toward her. Tony easily pulled her to the left and Wayne slammed against the wall. Bucky grabbed him and forced him into his chair.

“What do you want, bitch?” Wayne sneered at her. Y/N, still holding tightly to Tony’s hand, sat next to the lawyer, Tony standing beside her.

“I want you to sign the divorce papers, Wayne.” She responded, her voice strong and firm. “We’re done. I’ve already signed, I’m not doing this any more with you. I’m giving you this one chance. Sign and I won’t press charges.”

“You think you can get rid of me?” Wayne growled, leaning forward. “You’ll never be rid of me, never!”

“Look at where you are, Wayne,” Y/N’s voice remained calm and steady. “You’re in Stark Tower, surrounded by the Avengers who want nothing more than to see you pay dearly for every bruise, black eye, and cracked rib you ever gave me. You are not going to win this. In fact, you’ll be lucky to get out intact. The only thing keeping him” she gestured to Bucky “from beating you to a pulp is because I asked him not to. And he’s just the start of a rather impressive line consisting of a few master assassins, super soldiers, geniuses, gods, and a hulk. Do you really think you stand a chance against all that?”

“Y/N…” Wayne’s voice wavered slightly.

“And another thing,” Y/N continued as if he hadn’t spoke. “I’m with something else now.” She raise her and Tony’s clasped hands. “I’m not yours and I haven’t been for a long time. I’m not your wife, I’m not your punching bag, and I’m not your cook or maid. You are not my husband. You are my past, getting even more distant with every passing second. After this, I won’t think of you again. I forgive you, Wayne. Not because you need it but because that’s how done I am with you. I’ll not even hold hard feelings against you because I’ll hold literally nothing against you. When I leave this room, I will leave you and every thought of you behind.”

The four men remained speechless as Y/N rose from her chair. Bucky smiled proudly at her from behind Wayne. Tony looked at her in amazement. The lawyer held the pen out to an astonished Wayne.

“Sign the papers, Wayne,” Y/N pointed to the dotted line. Wayne looked down, back up at Y/N, and then down at the papers. Slowly, he lowered the pen and scrawled his name across the line. The lawyer immediately witnessed and notarized his signature.

“We’re done here,” Y/N said as she turned to the door and left the room, Tony at her heels. On the other side of the mirror, Y/N found the rest of the team. They looked at her silently with a mixture of awe and pride.

“He’s all yours,” Y/N said to Loki and Thor. Thor nodded and Loki grinned, both gods excited for what was about to happen. Y/N pulled Tony out with her and into the first empty office she found. Closing the door, she fell into Tony’s arms, burying her face in his neck.

“That was amazing, sweetheart,” Tony soothed as he rubbed her back. “But I have a question.”

“What?” Y/N asked, her voice muffled from his neck.

“What you said in there, about being with someone else, with me, did you mean it?”Tony asked softly, trying not to let his voice betray his feelings but failing miserably. Y/N pulled her face away to look up at him.

“Of course I meant it, Tony.” Y/N eyes shone with unshed tears. “If you’ll have me, that is. I’m kind of a mess sometimes.”

“I’ll be your mess if you’ll be mine,” Tony grinned.

“Deal.” Y/N smiled back and Tony quickly closed the distance between them, letting his lips seal the pact. She was now truly his and he never wanted to let her go.

  
**6 months later, Asgard**

Y/N stood on a balcony overlooking a training courtyard that was filled with Sif’s warriors. Odin and Loki kept watch next to her as one of Sif’s latest trainees was sparing against a man covered in the day’s bruises. He was slightly skinnier and his face no longer held his signature sneer, but Wayne was still very recognizable.

“They use him for training. He is allowed to hit back but hasn’t landed a single punch yet.” Loki sniggered. “Each day, when they are done, he is taken inside to be healed and rest for the next day. He is well taken care of and fed so that he can last as long as possible each day.”

“And they all know why he’s here?” Y/N asked quietly.

“They do,” Odin replied. “Each trainee knows his deeds. However, no one is allowed to kill him. Lady Sif keeps careful watch. ”

“And all Sif’s warriors are women?” She asked, not taking her eyes off of Wayne as he failed to block a kick and received a gut full of boot.

“Indeed they are,” Loki grinned. “Poetic, isn’t it?” Y/N nodded silently, not taking her eyes from Wayne.

“Loki,” Odin jerked his head, indicating for Loki to give them some space. Frowning at being sent away, Loki moved to the other end of the balcony. “I’m going to speak frankly with you, Y/N.”

“Yes, Sir,” Y/N responded, still not quite sure how to address him.

“Are you quite certain that Stark is your choice of mate? I have had Heimdall watch him and he is not without his faults.”

“I know Tony isn’t perfect, but neither am I. We will work out our imperfections together.” Y/N replied confidently.

“Should you change your mind, know that you are always welcome here and I suspect Loki would gladly fill the metal man’s place for you. All you need do is call for Heimdall and he will bring you here.”

“Thank you.” Y/N replied sincerely. “I think you’re right about Loki but I have made my choice and I think it’s a good one.”

“Very well,” Odin replied with a slight bow of his head. He raised his hand and Loki instantly appeared at his side. “Loki will see you safely home.”

“Well well,” Loki said softly as they watched Odin walk away. “High praise from the Allfather indeed.”

“Loki, I don’t think you were supposed to be listening,” Y/N laughed, allowing Loki to wrap his arm around her waist and steer here away from the balcony.

“I couldn’t help but overhear, darling,” Loki teased. “But are you really sure about Stark?”

“Yes, Loki, I’m really sure.” Y/N replied with a smile. She had gotten closer to Loki over the last six months and he had a special place in her heart but Tony had totally won her over. “You are invited to the wedding, you know.”

“I know,” Loki sighed dramatically. “I just haven’t made up my mind yet about attending.”

“You better show up, mister,” Y/N poked him in the side. “You have a job to do, you know.”

“Indeed I do!” Loki grinned as he nodded to Heimdall. “Very well then, I shall see you in a couple of weeks.”

Y/N smiled, waved, and stepped into the Bifrost for home.

  
**2 weeks later, a small garden in update New York….**

Tony waited nervously, surrounded by Rhodey, Steve, Bucky, Sam, and Bruce. Y/N was inside the large house with Nat and Loki. Everything was set, the cameras and satellites were set to broadcast worldwide for everyone who wanted to be see Tony Stark’s wedding but few were invited. Tony paced nervously, he hadn’t seen Y/N in two days and he couldn’t help it as his insecurities ran wild.

“Maybe you should go check on them,” he suggest to Steve for the 20th time. Steve laughed and jerked his head at Bucky, who jogged into the house, much to Tony’s relief. Inside, Bucky knocked on a bedroom door and Nat slowly stuck her head out.  
“Can I help you?” She asked, her eyes twinkling.

“It’s time and Tony’s sweating through his Hugo Boss,” Bucky laughed. From inside, Y/N giggled. Nat opened the door and let him in. Seated in front of a mirror, Y/N looked amazing in her champagne colored wedding gown. Her hair was curled and up with a few tendrils hanging around her face. The light in her eyes shone bright with happiness.

“Bucky,” she said, “you are wearing Hugo Boss, Tony is wearing Armani.”

“Wow, doll, you look amazing. Are you sure you’re marrying the right guy, I’m right here looking good in my…. Um, suit.”

Y/N stood and graced Bucky with a kiss on the cheek, being sure not to leave any of the dark red lipstick on his face. “I’m sure. Loki, are you ready yet?”

Loki entered from an adjoining room. He had exchanged his normal black and green leather for an all black tux of his own design. He ran his hand over his slicked back hair and stood next to Bucky. Nat joined them and they looked like they were professional models posing for a photo. All in black, all hair slicked back, all looking fabulous and deadly.

“Looks like we’re ready then,” Y/N said. “Thank you all for standing by me all this time and for standing with me today.”

“Oh shut up before you make the men cry,” Nat said as she pulled Y/N in for a hug. They ushered her outside and stood by her while Rhodey, Bruce, and Sam stood by Tony. Steve and Thor officiated together. The ceremony was short but beautiful and full of everything that represented Tony and Y/N. They had both overcome so much to get to where they were and both had plenty more to deal with, but they would be together. At the reception, only Avengers and select SHIELD personnel were invited, making it a big comfortable party for everyone.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Stark?” Tony interrupted Y/N’s conversation with Maria and Phil Coulson. “There’s something over here that needs your attention.” Tony pulled her away to the dance floor.

“What needs my attention here, Tony?” Y/N asked, smiling up at him.

“Oh, that would be me.” Tony answered cheekily. Y/N sighed happily and wrapped her arms around Tony’s neck as he led her in a slow dance. Foreheads resting together, they were completely unaware of the many pairs of eyes on them as their friends stood watching them dance.

“Do you think they’ll last?” Sam asked Steve.

“I think they stand a chance if Tony doesn’t screw it up,” Steve answered.

“More of a chance than most of us in our line of work,” Bruce responded.

“I’d hate to have to kill him if he hurts her,” Bucky added.

“Get in line,” Nat said.

“I do not believe Lady Y/N will allow Stark to do anything untoward,” Thor added.

“I’ve taught her a few tricks that I’m sure will come in handy if he does,” Loki grinned. “Y/N is very special, in ways that even she does not yet realize.” All heads turned to Loki as he continued to watch Tony and Y/N dance. Taking a sip from his glass of champagne, he looked back over the line of heroes and smiled. They had no idea just how special Y/N really was or what the future had in store for her.

As Tony and Y/N finished the dance and moved to the balcony for some privacy, Loki and Bucky had their own private conversation in the corner of the large room. Loki filled Bucky in on what he knew about Y/N and tried to explain a little of what Bucky might need to watch for until Loki could return. Being magical himself, Loki knew exactly what he saw in Y/N and knew how to help her when the time came. Poor Tony wouldn’t know what hit him and they needed to be ready because once it started, it was going to happen fast.

 

  
**A/N: Thank you all so much for taking this journey with me! This topic is something very near my heart and I hope that anyone who has been a victim of domestic abuse has found a bit of strength in this story. It’s about overcoming and learning to trust again, it’s about people having patience and understanding with each other, it’s about sacrificing for each other. Domestic abuse or not, I hope we can all find something in to relate to in this story! Again, thank you all so much, I would be a no-name hack without you all!**

**This story was originally posted on my Tumblr (@goodnightwife) in multiple chapters.**


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